College Briefs March 30
Psychology department students present at research conference
Many problems with representation and power still exist, leaving the power centralized with the president’s office.
The Ithaca College Shared Governance Task Force announced that it will present a draft of its shared governance proposal to the campus Oct. 24.
The Ithaca College administration took a different approach to the biannual All-College Meeting on Aug. 18. Instead of the traditional meeting structure consisting of updates on the budget, enrollment data or upcoming initiatives, President Tom Rochon focused on two “commitments” to the campus community — diversity and inclusion, and shared governance.
As the Shared Governance Task Force prepares to meet with the Ithaca College Board of Trustees this month to provide an update on its progress, key individuals involved in this process say there are still issues that need to be resolved and communicated to the campus community.
During the Fall 2015 semester, colleges and universities across the country were rocked by student protests addressing racial tensions on campuses. Ithaca College was also affected by these issues, and it is among many other institutions that are now trying to heal their communities while also facing losses in enrollment and retention.
Having no clear vision to propose to the community provides little motivation for people to get involved and contribute to this vision — a vicious cycle of counterproductiveness.
“I think not only being transparent, but being able to deliver,” he said. “When people feel like it impacts them, they want to be involved in that process.”
The Shared Governance Task Force agrees wholeheartedly with these calls to engagement and hopes that everyone in the campus community will get involved in our efforts this semester.