2012 Task Force Background

Beginning in 2002, various taskforces have documented the ways in which our Internal Governance (IG) system, adopted in 1995, must be vigilantly attended to in order to align with the practical impact of institutional growth.  As examples of the practical challenges noted by these groups:

  • some administrative positions referenced in the current document from 2009 no longer exist
  • approval paths for policy-making and revision are often unclear or nonexistent
  • in too many cases procedures are not clearly or properly defined

An internal governance structure that is inefficient interferes with the institution’s ability to act upon decisions and initiatives put forward by our Faculty, AP and Staff Senates. Our commitment to a renewal of IG through creation of appropriate digital communication tools and mechanisms, and through a dedication of resources to updating IG documents to reflect current institutional structures, reminds us of the importance of our founding vision:

Through a collaborative governance process, individuals and the University can harmonize their goals and set a course for mutual achievement. The willingness to listen to all ideas, to respect competing concerns, to evaluate the merits of many alternatives, and to communicate helps build consensus. 1995 IG Document

During the 2011-2012 academic year, at the encouragement of Provost Sam Minner a leadership group comprised of members from AP, Faculty, Staff, and Student Senates was called together to discuss problems and recommend revisions to the existing governance system. Over the course of spring and summer 2012, meetings were held to address the need for IG reform, and the following principles were established:

  1. Our goal should be a new IG document and system that reaffirms Radford University’s core value of collaborative governance and that allows us to actualize this value.
  2. The first step in achieving this goal should be to contract a professional consultant.  First and foremost, this consultant must be able to provide our community with governance models appropriate to our institution’s size, culture, and mission.
  3. A successful reform effort must include a commitment to work together to create a collaborative, transparent, and open process for all of Radford University’s constituencies.
  4. Any recommendations for IG reform must go through appropriate channels as laid forth in our current IG document.