Definitions of shared governance from Ohio University sources and National organizations
Tim Anderson, chairman of the department of Geography at OU: It's a sharing in how the university is run where the administration is focused on one set of things and the faculty are focused on another set of things.
Joe Bernt, professor of journalism at OU: It has for the most part
I think lost its meaning at Ohio University.
Phyllis Bernt, professor of telecommunications at OU: I think shared governance is really based on a system in which there really is sharing. That you don't have something that I refer to as checklist shared governance - that's where the administration really kind of pays lip service to it ... I think to really have real shared governance there has to be a sense that everybody has a real voice. That it's not an exercise.
C. Daniel DeLawder, chairman of the OU Board of Trustees: The perspective of the Board of Trustees to me and I'm sure to the other trustees
is that shared governance means gathering information from as many different people as possible.
Ann Fidler, interim associate provost of strategic initiatives: The definition that I really liked that I ran across was that shared governance should be the use of the collective intelligence of the university community.
Don Flournoy, professor in the School of Media Arts and Studies at OU: I think there is consultation
negotiation
prior to decision-making. So maybe
consultation
negotiation and persuasion
if you don't yourself have the authority to make decisions
you might bring pressure to bear or you might make some swaps - you might make some trades.
Steve Hays, professor in the School of Classics and World Religions: I think what we're talking about when we talk about shared governance it's like somebody isn't sharing. Somebody's got too much of it and somebody isn't listening.
George Johanson, professor in the department of educational studies: I think in most cases
there probably has to be some acknowledgment of areas of primary responsibility
