Principles of Collegiality and College Governance

The choice of a model of governance is a fundamental policy that affects everyone in a community of learning. A prime consideration for adopting a particular form of college governance is the effective and productive achievement of institutional values. The Faculty Federation believes the collegial theory of shared governance best supports the long-established College values of meaningful learning, excellent teaching, a collegial community, supportive leadership, universal access and quality service.

The rationale for selecting collegiality over other systems of governance is based on the recognition that the faculty of a college is an association of professionals. Although a college professor, counselor or librarian serves diverse functions in the overall organization of the College, his/her professional expertise in his/her areas of knowledge entitles him/her to considerable autonomy and liberty in the performance of professional activities. Commitment to one's calling as a professional requires an independent sense of responsibility for providing high standards of service and maintaining self-discipline in one's professional duties.

The collegial theory of governance requires an organizational structure and management style responsive to the needs of a professional staff for autonomy and responsible self-government. Other alternatives, such as autocratic or custodial systems of governance, while effective in some types of institutions, do not suit an institution of higher learning. Such non-collegial models--placing high priority on passive cooperation, directive decision making and dependency on higher-ups--are wasteful of talent and ultimately ineffective. Though non-collegial models are often justified in terms of efficiency, they typically create many inefficiencies: lowered morale, loss of initiative, inhibition of creativity and generalized resistance. Their application to college faculty demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of how to effectively manage an association of professionals.

Collegial practices encourage mutual contributions from the various sectors of the college community. Students, faculty and administrators collaborate openly and energetically in the functions and policy-making processes of the College. The system as a whole is functional to the extent that each group and each individual contribute to and share the responsibility, as well as the authority, for decision making. This kind of empowered involvement, born of awareness and respect for the requirements of professionalism, forms the foundation of a true community of learning.

Professional autonomy, mutual contributions, and shared authority and responsibility are the cornerstones of collegiality. At each level of governance, autonomy and responsibility are merged so that decisions that can be made at a lower level are made there without undue interference from above. Only those matters which cannot be dealt with effectively by individual faculty members become departmental concerns; only those which cannot be handled at the departmental level become concerns at the campus level; only those matters which cannot be resolved effectively at the campus level become college-wide concerns.

It is the position of the Faculty Federation --verified by the experience of many other institutions-- that the legal representation of faculty by a union can facilitate application of the principles and practices of collegiality at FCCJ. We encourage the administration and the Board to join us in adopting the principles of collegiality as the only responsible and effective way to facilitate the creation of a true community of learning and to achieve our common institutional values, mission and goals.

(Adapted, with permission, from a statement developed by the Faculty Senate of Southeast Missouri State University.)