1. Principles of Good Governance
Presentation to Sheridan College Senate October 27 , 2016

2. Principles of Good Governance
Unique Nature of Academic Governance
Membership
Roles / Responsibilities
Nature of Meetings
Evaluation
Presentation to cover five broad topics.
Principles identified generally apply to both Boards and Senates, but some actions / practices / approaches may be specific to one or the other body.

3. Principles of Good Governance
Unique nature of academic governance:
Autonomy and accountability
Respect for academic mission
Academic freedom and responsibility
Meaningful stakeholder participation – recognize and respect legitimate roles of various individuals and groups
Diverse representation of members
Governance as mechanism of accountability to the many publics to which postsecondary institutions are accountable: faculty, staff, students, alumni, broader community (including government funders).
Elaborate on protecting and respecting academic freedom.
Expand on meaning and importance of diversity.
Structures and processes of academic governance reflect the fundamental values of the institutions: collegial, consultative and inclusive decision-making.
Ongoing and growing pressures on postsecondary institutions – requirement on governance to be both agile and stable:
Quality of process – respect and align interests of University’s many stakeholders
Clear decision-making frameworks
Clarity of roles
Ethical framework

4. Principles of Good Governance
Membership
Fiduciary responsibilities
Engagement of all stakeholder groups
Independence, credibility and legitimacy
Terms of service
Foundation of good governance is people …
Essential nature of fiduciary responsibilities.
Type, level and timing of engagement in relation to members’ responsibilities.
Independent -- but representative – of particular stakeholder communities.
Credibility – experience, expertise, integrity, ability.
Legitimacy – processes of appointment and election transparency, openness, inclusiveness.

5. Principles of Good Governance
Membership:
Expectations and Attributes
Stewards
Act in good faith
Act in College’s best interests
Stakeholder / constituency interests inform deliberations
Expand on value of institutions’ codes of behaviour, codes of ethics, expectations documents for members of governing bodies.

6. Principles of Good Governance
Membership:
Identification and Selection
Election or appointment
Open, transparent processes
Clear and broadly-based communication
Quality of governance reflects quality of process – planned, deliberate.
Collective responsibility within the institution.
Roles of Board and Senate leadership.
Importance of defined processes; over time, as their governance has matured, many institutions have governance / nominating committees for their Boards; while such models are not necessarily appropriate for Senates, the underlying principle of clear, fair, well-communicated processes is critical.
Articulation of the responsibilities of members of governance bodies – “the job description”.
Expectations of members.
Defining and communicating skills and experience needed at particular times or over time.
Key consideration for external members of governance bodies: understanding of and commitment to postsecondary education.
Attributes matrix – current strengths, gaps, future needs.
Importance of succession / leadership planning.

7. Principles of Good Governance
Membership
Orientation and Education
Knowledge of responsibilities
Knowledge of institution, its history, culture, current state and future plans
Context – legislative, policy and societal environments
Goal is to equip members to:
Make fully-informed strategic decisions.
In the case of the Board, to support and guide the President they have appointed to achieve a mandate.
Be partners in advancing the College’s mission.
Protect and strengthen academic quality – elaborate on respective roles of Board and of Senate.
NOT micromanage.
Orientation and ongoing education
Chair’s priorities and expectations
Fiduciary responsibilities
Overview of the university and key administrative portfolios
University governance
President’s priorities
Access to information / protection of privacy
“Professional development” opportunities, external resources

8. Principles of Good Governance
Membership:
Engagement
In governance
In the College
Key roles of governance and administration’s leadership
Equip individuals to be informed, prepared and active participants in governance – informed about their responsibilities and the matters before them. Elaborate on what this means in meetings and outside of meetings.
Essential to develop full understanding of the institution.
Partnership between governance and administrative leadership to build and facilitate engagement of members.

9. Principles of Good Governance
Roles
Approval
Oversight
Advice :

10. Principles of Good Governance
Roles:
Board
Strategy
Reputation / Image
Finances
Capital and infrastructure
Human resources
Risk management
Academic quality
Student experience
Provide details on the list of the Board’s general areas of responsibility.
Appointment of the President.
Board is ultimately responsible for academic quality
Academic Affairs Committee – only one way to ensure strong oversight; it is important for the Board to receive appropriate reports on achievement of academic priorities, student outcomes, student experience. Essential that Board members understand the roles and responsibilities of the Senate.
Approval of strategic and academic plans
Approval of policies – accountability related to those policies; delegation by the Board to Senate and to administration; accountability mechanisms are established for all of the delegations and for the policies which the Board reserves to itself.
Understanding of roles and responsibilities of Senate and of academic units

11. Principles of Good Governance
Roles:
Senate
Academic priorities
Academic policies
Academic programs
Academic calendar
Academic quality
Admissions standards
Graduation requirements
Research and creative activities
Delegated authority from the Board.
Highlights from the TOR with respect to approval, oversight and advice.
Key advisory role with respect to academic directions/priorities.
Reiterate representative nature.
Committee responsibilities.

12. Principles of Good Governance
Roles:
Governance and Administration
Board
Senate
Board Chair / Senate Chair and Speaker
President and Vice-Presidents
Chair - President relationship
Importance of understanding and respecting the legitimate division of responsibility – reference to Act, by-laws, terms of reference, etc.
Support and guidance of administration – tough questions, respectful criticism.
Foundation of trust.
Clear and ongoing communication.

13. Principles of Good Governance
Nature of Meetings
Responsibilities delegated to committees (advice, oversight, approval)
Responsibilities reserved to the Board or the Senate
Balance of open and closed / in camera meetings
Appropriate and timely information for members
Conduct of meetings
Board and Senate: essential to respect delegations of authority and their boundaries.
Transparency: meetings, agendas, decisions (minutes), procedures.
Information in the right level of detail with relevant history and governance-level content; process information – how decisions are made, the nature of consultation.
Sufficient number of meetings.
Conduct of meetings: order and decorum, respectful debate, rules of order.

14. Principles of Good Governance
Evaluation
Regular formal valuation of governance performance
Defined principles
Accepted good governance standards
Ongoing informal assessments – e.g. “what worked well at this meeting?”
Is the body spending time where and how it should?
Are members prepared, informed, participating?

15. Principles of Good Governance
Questions and Discussion
Principles apply to both Boards and Senates, but some actions / practices / approaches may be specific to one or the other body.