The College Council shall serve as the central consultation committee and as a clearinghouse for all shared governance recommendations to the Superintendent-President. The College Council will ensure that there is an inclusive and transparent dialog on core campus issues and that all campus constituent groups have an opportunity to provide input and present ideas for improving the practices, programs, and services in which they are involved that support the mission, vision and core values of the college.

Functions of the College Council

  1. Discuss issues brought from constituent groups
  2. Formulate recommendations to the Superintendent-President on campus-wide issues
  3. Guide the work of the Standing committees
  4. Advise the Superintendent/President on the development and review of Board Policies and Administrative Procedures that are neither collective bargaining nor academic and professional matters.
  5. Advise the Superintendent/President on issues where no existing committee or group exists
  6. Set up ad-hoc committees or groups, when needed, to deal with issues not addressed by the Standing committees.

Commitment to Participatory Governance

Pasadena City College is committed to the principles of participatory governance that is founded on consultation and collegiality. Shared governance, sometimes referred to as participatory governance, is the mechanism whereby employees and students participate equitably and collegially in the decision-making processes of the college. The goal of shared governance is to include, within the decision-making processes, representatives of all college constituencies affected by these decisions.

Participating effectively recognizes, and indeed is predicated on, the sincere commitment of all participants to our students, our professions, and our institution. It is a complex process of consultation that demands from the Board of Trustees, faculty, administrators, staff, and students a respect for divergent opinions, a sense of mutual trust, and a willingness to work together for the good of the students who entrust us with their educational goals.  It is with this in mind that the College uses participatory decision-making as its model of participating effectively.

Participatory decision-making is designed to be a collaborative and cooperative process where participants contribute to a shared proposal that becomes the best possible decision by addressing the concerns of all group members. Furthermore, it recognizes the need for all members to provide, when possible, equal input into the process. The ethics of participatory decision-making encourage participants to place the good of the whole group above their own individual preferences.

Benefits of Shared Governance

  • Expertise and Analytical Skills of Many
  • Institutional knowledge & perspective
  • Understanding of Objectives/Decisions
  • Commitment to Implementation
  • Leadership Opportunities
  • Promotion of Trust and Cooperation
  • Opportunity for Conflict Resolution
  • Transparency

What makes shared governance effective

  • Participation by all constituency groups
  • Open communication
  • Valuing diversity of opinion
  • Student success as a priority
  • Critique ideas and not people, disagree respectfully
  • Maintain a professional and collegial environment
  • Provide solution-oriented comments
  • Be responsible for examining all points of view before consensus is accepted
  • Be fully “present” at the meeting by becoming familiar with materials before the meeting
  • Report out to constituent groups
  • Actively collaborate with constituent groups to achieve common goals
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