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.

eo acs