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processes, and these assessments have resulted in changes to participatory governance
organization, program review forms & training, and resource allocation procedures.
Strategic Planning & Participatory Governance Reorganization
The strategic planning process
27
(2016-17) provided a significant opportunity for the College to
reflect upon, evaluate, and improve our institutional structures and activities. This process began
with thorough data-gathering including a survey of stakeholders and internal and external data
scans which informed about changes in the environment, community needs, student
demographics, and student success statistics. The Strategic Planning process was furthered by
two college-wide forums, which allowed members of the college community to openly discuss
priorities of the college and brainstorm areas for improvement.
Through the assessment and dialogue of the Strategic Planning process, one of the identified
areas for improvement was integrating student success planning efforts
28
and improving
communication channels of the participatory governance structure
29
. The current structure
seemed to perpetuate communication silos where groups worked in isolation, at times
duplicating efforts when tackling common issues. In order to address this organizational issue,
the Participatory Governance Committee proposed a restructuring of participatory governance at
the College
30
in spring 2017 to align participatory governance committees with other college
structures to improve organizational effectiveness, address accreditation standards, and
efficiently improve communication and accountability. This restructuring created four branches
of participatory governance
31
under which existing committees were organized. The goals of the
reorganization were to improve communication among related committees, address strategic
planning, integrate planning for student success, align accreditation priorities, and streamline
work where possible. Additionally, a tri-chair model was adopted providing a greater degree of
participation by all constituency groups. The tri-chairs for each participatory governance branch
are members of the Participatory Governance Council to ensure effective communication
between the branches.
In the 2017-18 academic year, participatory governance committees
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discussed the proposed
restructuring, reviewed committee charges, and planned for change. This process was flexible,
allowing each branch to determine a suitable organizational outcome, and in fall 2018, the
branches began to operate under the newly designed structure. For example, the Budget
Committee proposed a name change to the Resource Committee to recognize its broad
responsibility to review and provide input in the College’s resource allocation processes. The
responsibility for issues related to facilities transferred to the Resources Committee from the
Health and Facilities Committee. This redistribution of responsibilities more effectively aligned
27
Strategic Plan Development Website
28
Cosumnes River College Internal Scan p. 37-40
29
Strategic Planning Steering Committee Minutes 03-01-17
30
Participatory Governance Committee Minutes 05-09-17
31
Participatory Governance Structure Diagram
32
Example conversation regarding PG restructuring in Budget Committee Minutes 09-18-17