Dr. Clevette Ridguard
At its best, participatory governance can be a powerful vehicle for gathering input, amplifying diverse voices, and soliciting feedback from every person in your organization. When implemented effectively, this process fosters inclusion, strengthens a sense of belonging, and builds community among employees and students alike. Higher education has long expected members of the academic community to be involved in institutional decision-making.
Historically, however, this involvement has come primarily from the faculty, thereby missing the perspectives of other institutional stakeholders, such as staff and students. Creating a truly participatory governance structure allows institutions to capture these broader perspectives and ensure that the experiences inform decisions of the entire campus community. This inclusivity becomes increasingly important as institutions, regardless of size or location, face challenges related to institutional restructuring, financial constraints, technological change, and the heightened need for accountable and transparent leadership.
Developing an effective participatory governance model can be transformative for higher education institutions. Its value can be better understood by examining three key questions.
How can participatory governance work at an institution of higher education?
The purpose of participatory governance is to gather input, encourage dialogue, and disseminate information — not to manage the institution's day-to-day operations. Effective participatory governance begins with a board-approved policy that defines the purpose and parameters of the governance system. Clear policies help ensure that governance groups understand their role within the broader decision-making process. Establish a council or committee for each major stakeholder group within the institution. Depending on the size and complexity of your institution, consider additional councils, such as campus-based councils or functional-area councils.
Institutions should develop an inclusive governance structure that represents all institutional members, regardless of work schedules, all institutional functions, and divisions. Develop governance guidelines and operational documents for all councils to operate consistently and abide by the same rules and expectations. In addition, the governance infrastructure should outline clear communication channels for input and feedback, as well as the level of engagement with senior leaders concerning institutional priorities. Levels of engagement are a framework for thoughtful decision-making that could include informing, consulting, involving, collaborating, or empowering the stakeholder.
These communication channels ensure all perspectives are considered in the decision-making process. Equally important is providing training and coaching for the governance leaders to facilitate productive discussions and represent their constituents effectively. Councils should remain focused on the institution's mission and values by developing and executing measurable goals aligned with the institution's strategic plan. Finally, maintaining open and transparent processes helps promote trust, engagement, and broad participation across the college community.
Why is it important to the president and senior leadership?
Participatory governance provides presidents and senior leaders with an established infrastructure for gathering input and engaging the community. Through this structure, leaders can solicit feedback, gauge reactions, test ideas, and use governance groups as informal focus groups when considering new initiatives. When institutions need to pilot programs or introduce significant change, having a trusted governance process already in place makes communication more effective and inclusive. It also helps ensure that stakeholders feel informed and involved.
Participatory governance can improve decision quality and build legitimacy for institutional decisions when stakeholders see their perspectives reflected in the process. In addition, governance council members can help carry institutional messaging, serve as ambassadors to other constituents within the institution, share information, encourage dialogue, and help build understanding among peers, students, and employees. Through this process, all constituency groups can feel a sense of ownership and belonging in institutional improvements and advancement.
How does participatory governance benefit students?
Higher education's primary purpose is to help students achieve their educational goals. Including students as equal partners in participatory governance is invaluable. Designing a process that dedicates a council solely to students, on par with the staff, faculty, and administrator council, equalizes the opportunity for all voices to be heard in equal measure. It ensures that their perspectives help shape the policies and decisions that affect their academic experience. Students are exposed to the same training and professional development offered to all other members involved in governance. In addition, it affords students the unique opportunity to observe and practice leadership, collaboration, communication, and advocacy skills that can be utilized in future professional roles and civic engagement after graduation.
In conclusion, participatory governance can be a valuable asset to an institution when thoughtfully designed and implemented. It can be a tool for managing communication, collaboration, and inclusive decision-making. Institutions should designate leadership responsible for managing a well-defined organizational governance process that suits the uniqueness of each institution and provides equal voice to all stakeholders, including students. Given this process, regardless of the current institutional climate, everyone, leaders and students alike, can celebrate an inclusive sense of belonging.
Dr. Clevette Ridguard has served as governance director at Montgomery College for over six years. She is experienced in assessment, program review, accreditation, and institutional effectiveness. She holds an Ed.D. in community college leadership from Morgan State University.
