Academic Assembly

The Duties of Faculty Governance Representatives

The following was drafted by the College Governance Council as an articulation of what is expected of faculty who are elected to represent their faculty governance body on a college-wide committee.

"Faculty Governance" is the name commonly given to the processes by which the faculty at a college or university express their expertise, exert their authority and exercise their responsibility in shaping the academic policies of the institution. At Suffolk County Community College, faculty use the Governance structure to communicate and collaborate with the Administration on a variety of issues that affect the academic environment of the College. The Faculty Governance structure at SCCC is organized on both the campus and college-wide levels. Three bodies, one on each of the three main campuses, serve as campus-based conduits of information for the faculty. These are the Eastern Congress, the Ammerman Senate, and the Grant Assembly. One college-wide body, the College Governance Council, has representatives from each of the campus bodies, and serves to unite the voice of the faculty.

When you agree to serve as a Governance representative on a committee, you are agreeing to be the eyes, ears, and voice of the body that appointed or elected you. Throughout your time on the committee, it is vital that you keep in mind that you are not primarily representing just your own views; you are there to serve as the representative of your Governance body, the Grant Campus Academic Assembly. As a professional, your individual and disciplinary perspectives are to be valued, but as a Governance representative, your primary role is to advance the broader interests of that body. This comes with certain responsibilities. As a Governance representative you are expected to attend all meetings of the committee on which you serve and to notify the Chair of the Assembly if that ever becomes impossible. While serving, you are responsible to report back to the Assembly the important decisions and actions taken by the committee. You also are responsible for soliciting feedback from the Assembly regarding the ongoing work of the committee, and to share that feedback at the committee meetings.

You, as the Governance representative for your Faculty Governance body, are serving as the spokesperson of the body and therefore the voice of your fellow faculty. This can seem like a daunting task, especially when your committee includes members of the College administration. Know, however, that the College can only become stronger through the free exchange of ideas. You will now play a vital role in this dialog by communicating openly with your fellow faculty and bringing their opinions and concerns forward to the committee meetings. In turn, communication between you as the representative, and the Governance body that you represent, is also critical to the overall success of Faculty Governance.

Thank you for agreeing to accept this important role in exercising our collective responsibility for an academically sound institution.