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> NASC Accreditation > NASC Standards
Standard Six
Governance and Administration
Standard 6.A - Governance System
The institution's system of governance facilitates
the successful accomplishment of its mission and goals.
6.A.1 The system of governance ensures that the authority,
responsibilities, and relationships among and between the governing board,
administrators, faculty, staff, and students are clearly described in a
constitution, charter, bylaws, or equivalent policy document.
6.A.2 The governing board, administrators, faculty, staff,
and students understand and fulfill their respective roles as set forth
by the governance system's official documents.
6.A.3 The system of governance makes provision for the
consideration of faculty, student, and staff views and judgments in those
matters in which these constituencies have a direct and reasonable interest.
6.A.4 In a multi-unit governance system (state or district),
the division of authority and responsibility between the central system
office and the institution is clearly delineated. System policies, regulations,
and procedures concerning the institution are clearly defined and equitably
administered.
Standard 6.B - Governing Board
The governing board is ultimately responsible for the
quality and integrity of the institution (or institutions in the case of
the multi-unit system). It selects a chief executive officer, considers
and approves the mission of the institution, is concerned with the provision
of adequate funds, and exercises broad-based oversight to ensure compliance
with institutional policies. The board establishes broad institutional
policies, and delegates to the chief executive officer the responsibility
to implement and administer these policies.
6.B.1 The board includes adequate representation of the
public interest and/or the diverse elements of the institution's constituencies
and does not include a predominant representation by employees of the institution.
The president may be an ex officio member of the board, but not
its chair. Policies are in place that provide for continuity and change
of board membership.
6.B.2 The board acts only as a committee of the whole.
No member or subcommittee of the board acts in place of the board except
by formal delegation of authority.
6.B.3 The duties, responsibilities, ethical conduct requirements,
organizational structure, and operating procedures of the board are clearly
defined in a published policy document.
6.B.4 Consistent with established board policy, the board
selects, appoints, and regularly evaluates the chief executive officer.
6.B.5 The board regularly reviews and approves the institution's
mission. It approves all major academic, vocational, and technical programs
of study, degrees, certificates, and diplomas. It approves major substantive
changes in institutional mission, policies, and programs.
6.B.6 The board regularly evaluates its performance and
revises, as necessary, its policies to demonstrate to its constituencies
that it carries out its responsibilities in an effective and efficient
manner.
6.B.7 The board ensures that the institution is organized
and staffed to reflect its mission, size, and complexity. It approves an
academic and administrative structure or organization to which it delegates
the responsibility for effective and efficient management.
6.B.8 The board approves the annual budget and the long-range
financial plan, and reviews periodic fiscal audit reports.
6.B.9 The board is knowledgeable of the institution's
accreditation status and is involved, as appropriate, in the accrediting
process.
Standard 6.C - Leadership and Management
The chief executive officer provides leadership through
the definition of institutional goals, establishment of priorities, and
the development of plans. The administration and staff are organized to
support the teaching and learning environment which results in the achievement
of the institution's mission and goals.
6.C.1 The chief executive officer's full-time responsibility
is to the institution.
6.C.2 The duties, responsibilities, and ethical conduct
requirements of the institution's administrators are clearly defined and
published. Administrators act in a manner consistent with them.
6.C.3 Administrators are qualified to provide effective
educational leadership and management. The chief executive officer is responsible
for implementing appropriate procedures to evaluate administrators regularly.
6.C.4 Institutional advancement activities (which may
include development and fund raising, institutional relations, alumni and
parent programs) are clearly and directly related to the mission and goals
of the institution.
6.C.5 Administrators ensure that the institutional decision-making
process is timely.
6.C.6 Administrators facilitate cooperative working relationships,
promote coordination within and among organizational units, and encourage
open communication and goal attainment.
6.C.7 Administrators responsible for institutional research
ensure that the results are widely distributed to inform planning and subsequent
decisions that contribute to the improvement of the teaching-learning process.
6.C.8 Policies, procedures, and criteria for administrative
and staff appointment, evaluation, retention, promotion, and/or termination
are published, accessible, and periodically reviewed.
6.C.9 Administrators' and staff salaries and benefits
are adequate to attract and retain competent personnel consistent with
the mission and goals of the institution.
Standard 6.D - Faculty Role in Governance
The role of faculty in institutional governance, planning,
budgeting and policy development is made clear and public; faculty are
supported in that role (see Standard Four - Faculty, pages 62-67).
Standard 6.E - Student Role in Governance
The role of students in institutional governance, planning,
budgeting, and policy development is made clear and public; students are
supported in fulfilling that role (see Standard Three - Students,
pages 50-61).
6.1 Policy on Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination
Background. Educational institutions should contain
within their environment the essence of the qualities they endeavor to
impart, including the essential of nondiscrimination. They have a responsibility
to develop selection and promotion standards and procedures based on principles
which consider qualities, aptitudes, or talents simply as they pertain
to the requirements of the position, with due regard for affirmative action.
Institutions are expected to review their policies and procedures regularly
to determine their validity in keeping with these principles.
Adopted 1973/Revised 1987
6.2 Policy on Collective Bargaining
Background. The decision to enter into a collective
bargaining agreement is primarily institutional, governed by state laws
for public institutions and federal laws for independent institutions.
The Commission takes no position on such agreements and does not encourage
or discourage them.
Regional accreditation evaluates the effectiveness of
an institution in achieving its stated mission and goals. Its primary concern
must lie with the total institution. Whenever institutional policies and
procedures are modified by collective bargaining agreements, such modification
should not contravene the requirements of Commission standards, particularly
Standard Four - Faculty, or unduly disrupt the educational process of the
institution.
At institutions which have collective bargaining agreements,
the self-study, the evaluation committee, and those responsible for accreditation
decisions must address the impact of collective bargaining on the quality
and effectiveness of the institution. To help achieve this result, the
Commission requests:
1. self-study participation by representatives of the
entire campus community--administrators, faculty, and support staff--as
well as appropriate involvement of trustees and students. Collective bargaining
processes should not impede self-study participation.
2. assessment of the impact of collective bargaining on
the quality and effectiveness of the institution, both by the self-study
committee and the evaluation committee.
3. care on the part of accrediting committees in composing
recommendations which may be used by either party to influence what occurs
at the bargaining table. Institutional representatives are reminded that
the evaluation committee recommendations must be considered, but no one
of them is necessarily a mandate or an arbitrary standard.
4. institutional effort to clarify the respective roles
of faculty bargaining units and other faculty governance organizations.
5. inclusion of bargaining agreements with documents available
for visiting evaluation committees.
If an institution believes that collective bargaining
negotiations will, at any specific time, impair an effective self-study
or evaluation committee visit, the chief executive officer is invited to
confer with the Commission's Executive Director. In unusual circumstances,
the Commission will consider a request to defer either or both processes.
Adopted 1982/Revised 1987
Supporting Documentation for Standard Six
Required:
1. Board and committee membership with a brief background
statement on each board member, including term(s) of office and compensation
(if any) for board service. Indicate which board members, if any, are employees
of the institution.
2. Organization charts or tables, both administrative
and academic, including names of office holders with a notation of any
changes since the last accreditation visit.
Required Exhibits:
1. Articles of incorporation and bylaws.
2. Board policy manual, together with the agenda and minutes
of the last three years of meetings.
3. Administrative policy manuals.
4. Administrative position descriptions.
5. Staff Handbook.
6. Salary data (including ranges if applicable) and benefits
for administration and staff.
7. In multi-college systems, organization charts of central
office, description of functions of central office personnel and their
relationships to institutional personnel, and administrative or policy
manuals of the system.
8. Collective bargaining agreements, if any.
9. Constitutions or bylaws of faculty and staff organizations,
with minutes of meetings, for the last three years.
10. List of currently active committees and task forces
with names and on-campus phone numbers of committee or task force chairs.
Suggested:
1. Reports to constituencies, including the public.
2. Charter or constitution of student association.
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