Standard IV.B. Committee Meetings

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STANDARD IV.B. - Decision-Making Roles & Processes

Standard IV: Leadership and Governance
The institution recognizes and utilizes the contributions of leadership throughout the organization for continuous improvement of the institution. Governance roles are designed to facilitate decisions that support student learning programs and services and improve institutional effectiveness, while acknowledging the designated responsibilities of the governing board and the chief administrator.

B. Board and Administrative Organization
In addition to the leadership of individuals and constituencies, institutions recognize the designated responsibilities of the governing board for setting policies and of the chief administrator for the effective operation of the institution. Multi-college districts/systems clearly define the organizational roles of the district/system and the colleges.

1. The institution has a governing board that is responsible for establishing policies to assure the quality, integrity, and effectiveness of the student learning programs and services and the financial stability of the institution. The governing board adheres to a clearly defined policy for selecting and evaluating the chief administrator for the college or the district/system.

a. The governing board is an independent policy-making body that reflects the public interest in board activities and decisions. Once the board reaches a decision, it acts as a whole. It advocates for and defends the institution and protects it from undue influence or pressure.

b. The governing board establishes policies consistent with the mission statement to ensure the quality, integrity, and improvement of student learning programs and services
and the resources necessary to support them.

c. The governing board has ultimate responsibility for educational quality, legal matters, and financial integrity.

d. The institution or the governing board publishes the board bylaws and policies specifying the board’s size, duties, responsibilities, structure, and operating procedures.

e. The governing board acts in a manner consistent with its policies and bylaws. The board regularly evaluates its policies and practices and revises them as necessary.

f. The governing board has a program for board development and new member orientation. It has a mechanism for providing for continuity of board membership and staggered terms of office.

g. The governing board’s self-evaluation processes for assessing board performance are clearly defined, implemented, and published in its policies or bylaws.

h. The governing board has a code of ethics that includes a clearly defined policy for dealing with behavior that violates its code.

i. The governing board is informed about and involved in the accreditation process.

j. The governing board has the responsibility for selecting and evaluating the district/system chief administrator (most often known as the chancellor) in a multi-college district/system or the college chief administrator (most often known as the president) in the case of a single college. The governing board delegates full responsibility and authority to him/her to implement and administer board policies without board interference and holds him/her accountable for the operation of the district/system or college, respectively.
In multi-college districts/systems, the governing board establishes a clearly defined policy for selecting and evaluating the presidents of the colleges.

2. The president has primary responsibility for the quality of the institution he/she leads. He/she provides effective leadership in planning, organizing, budgeting, selecting and developing personnel, and assessing institutional effectiveness.

a. The president plans, oversees, and evaluates an administrative structure organized and staffed to reflect the institution's purposes, size, and complexity. He/she delegates authority to administrators and others consistent with their responsibilities, as appropriate.

b. The president guides institutional improvement of the teaching and learning environment by the following:
• establishing a collegial process that sets values, goals, and priorities;
• ensuring that evaluation and planning rely on high quality research and analysis on external and internal conditions;
• ensuring that educational planning is integrated with resource planning and distribution to achieve student learning outcomes; and
• establishing procedures to evaluate overall institutional planning and implementation efforts.

c. The president assures the implementation of statutes, regulations, and governing board policies and assures that institutional practices are consistent with institutional mission and policies.

d. The president effectively controls budget and expenditures.

e. The president works and communicates effectively with the communities served by the institution.

3. In multi-college districts or systems, the district/system provides primary leadership in setting and communicating expectations of educational excellence and integrity throughout the district/system and assures support for the effective operation of the colleges. It establishes clearly defined roles of authority and responsibility between the colleges and the district/system and acts as the liaison between the colleges and the governing board.

a. The district/system clearly delineates and communicates the
operational responsibilities and functions of the district/system from those of the colleges and consistently adheres to this delineation in practice.

b. The district/system provides effective services that support
the colleges in their missions and functions.

c. The district/system provides fair distribution of resources that are adequate to support the effective operations of the colleges.

d. The district/system effectively controls its expenditures.

e. The chancellor gives full responsibility and authority to the
presidents of the colleges to implement and administer delegated district/system policies without his/her interference and holds them accountable for the operation of the colleges.

f. The district/system acts as the liaison between the colleges and the governing board. The district/system and the colleges use effective methods of communication, and they exchange information in a timely manner.

g. The district/system regularly evaluates district/system role delineation and governance and decision-making structures and processes to assure their integrity and effectiveness in assisting the colleges in meeting educational goals. The district/system widely communicates the results of these evaluations and uses them as the basis for improvement.