COM Participatory Governance

The College of Marin Participatory Governance System (PGS) is guided by the California Educational Code as specified in Section 70901(b)(1)(E) which states governing boards of community college districts will "ensure faculty, staff and students with the right to participate effectively in district governance, and the opportunity to express their opinions at the campus level and ensure that these opinions are given every reasonable consideration, and the right of academic senates to assume primary responsibility for making recommendations in the areas of curriculum and academic standards as well as other academic and professional matters as are mutually agreed upon between the governing board and the academic senate." Further, the College of Marin governance system aspires to practice transparency in decision-making.

Participatory Governance System (PGS)

Senates

The three Senates representing faculty, staff and students provide the foundation for the College's Participatory Governance System.

• Academic Senate

The Academic Senate represents all certificated instructional personnel including credit, non-credit, full and part-time faculty, which includes instructors, counselors, college nurse and librarians. The faculty elects 15 members to the Academic Senate.
Academic Senate Subcommittees:
      Academic Standards Committee
      Curriculum Committee
      Program Review Committee

• Classified Senate

The Classified Senate represents all staff other than certificated and management. Senators are elected from the classified staff in proportion to the percentage of CSEA, SEIU and unrepresented employees in the District.

• Student Senate

The Student Senate represents all registered credit and non-credit students. The Student Senate consists of the Senate President (elected by the student body) and students appointed by the student associations (ASCOM and ASEC).

PGS Plan

The Participatory Governance System Plan includes an outline of the governance system, committee charges and responsibilities and governance procedures that guide meeting operation and participatory decision-making processes. The PGS Plan was revised by the Governance Review Council in 2007-2008 based on feedback from committee members and the college community. The revised PGS Plan was approved by College Council in May 2008.

In April 2009, the GRC recommended two revisions to the May 2008 PGS Plan. The revsions established a Professional Development Committee and updated language regarding the review process for Board Policies and Administrative Procedures to reflect the current process. College Council approved the revised PGS Plan April 9, 2009.

In November 2009, the GRC recommended and College Council approved the establishment of the Planning and Resource Allocation Committee (PRAC) which merged the responsibilities held by the former Institutional Planning and Budget Committees.

In May 2010, the GRC recommended and College Council approved a revision to the charge and composition of the GRC. This is included in the most recent PGS Plan posted below.

• Participatory Governance Plan (PGS) Revised May 2010*
• Governance Committee Organizational Chart, Revised November 2009*

Constituent Reporting

Committee members may use the Governance Committee Report form to report to their constituency on committee work and actions. Governance Committee members are responsible for reporting back to their constituency regarding committee work and actions.

Meeting Dates & Times

Committee meeting dates, times, locations and Chair contact information are listed on the online Faculty and Staff Calendar. You may also access the calendar from the College Home Page by clicking on "Faculty and Staff" under the "Calendar of Events" drop down box.

Governance Committee Representatives
A current copy of the Governance Committee Representatives Roster can be found in the "Governance Resources" folder in Outlook Public folders.

Committee Participant Surveys

Each spring PRIE conducts a committee participant survey under the auspices of the Governance Review Committee (GRC) to assess committee member's perceptions of and satisfaction with the governance system. Results are reviewed by the GRC in the fall and used to make recommendations to revise and improve the system.

• Spring 2009 Governance Committee Participant Survey Results *
• Spring 2008 Governance Committee Participant Survey Results *
• Spring 2007 and Spring 2006 Governance Committee Participant Survey Results Report.*

Standing Committees

The Participatory Governance System consists of the standing committees and councils listed below. Click on the committee name for information about the committee's charge, responsibilities and composition.

• College Council
• Governance Review Council
• Planning and Resource Allocation Committee
  • Educational Planning Committee
  • Facilities Planning Committee
  • Instructional Equipment Committee
  • Professional Development Committee
    
  • Student Access and Success Committee
  • Technology Planning Committee

Governance Digest

PRIE publishes a Governance Digest that summarizes the work of the PGS standing committees. Beginning in 2008-09, the Governance Digest has been published on an annual basis.

• 2009-10 Governance Digest*
• 2008-09 Governance Digest*
• Fall 2007 Governance Digest*
• Spring 2007 Governance Digest*
• Fall 2006 Governance Digest*
• Governance Digest Report Form Committee chairs, use this form to submit your committee report to the ODP Office. Email to kathleen.kirkpatrick@marin.edu.

COMMITTEE RESOURCES

Click here to access a variety of resources that will assist committee chairs and members to conduct effective meetings, communicate with their constituency and learn more about participatory governance.

* These files require Adobe Acrobat Reader which you may download for free from Adobe's web site.

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Office of Planning, Research and Institutional Effectiveness (PRIE) Web Page
Technical Contact: Kathleen Kirkpatrick, Staff Development Program Administrator, 415-485-9344
Content Responsible: Dr. Chialin Hsieh, Director of Planning, Research and Institutional Effectiveness, 415-485-9545