INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE /JULY 3, 1990

REPORT OF THE TASK COMMITTEE
ON EDUCATIONAL GOVERNANCE REVIEW
DOUGLAS COLLEGE

Preamble

The Task Committee has interpreted the discussion and reports of
the Governance Review Committee to affirm the following two basic principles
which have been incorporated in the work of the Task Committee:

1. Governance will be centralized in two primary locations; the
Department/Program locus, and a College-wide body (the Education
Council). This means, effectively, the elimination of the
Divisional level of Governance. The perception of the Task
Committee is that the two part rather than three part structure
will considerably reduce the bureaucratic nature of governance, and
facilitate efficiency in communication and implementation.

Be The College-wide body should be left as free as possible within
normative guidelines and constraints to develop its own policies.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, we believe that the review
discussions have indicated a need for one area to be dealt with on
a College-wide level - admissions. These will be managed by a
standing committee of the college-wide body.

The incorporation of these principles into our work has resulted in
the proposal of a model which affirms the primacy of the faculty as the locus
of curriculum and instructional decision making, anda simplified decision
making structure as the mechanism to implement this primacy in a rational,
consistent manner.

The Task Committee also takes note of the importance of identifying
the relationship between the administrative and educational governance
decision-making structures. The authority for all decision-making in the
College system rests with the Board. The Board delegates operational
authority to the administration of the College, while retaining the ultimate
policy-making authority. Decisions related to the quality of educational
offerings (admissions policy, curriculum, instruction, etc.) are the natural
province of the faculty, and advice and decision-making in these area are the
province of the Education Council and the Department Committee. Decisions
related to the allocation of educational resources are the natural province
of the administration of the College, and the decision-making in this area is
delegated by the Board to the Administration. Within over-all College
policy, the Education Council and the Department Committee make decisions on
approval related to quality and make recommendations for implementation
(resource allocation) to the Administration. It is expected that, because of
the close relationship between Directors/Chairs and the Department Committee,
and between senior administration and the Education Council, recommendations
and decisions related to resource allocation will grow out of ongoing
dialogue.

For ease of understanding, this proposal is being expressed in the
format of the existing Governance structure. It is expected that an informal
review of the model will be done one year after its implementation, with a
formal review to commence within 24 months of implementation.

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