Durham College
PA-3: Governance

The Durham College Board of Governors has a student representative elected each year by the broader student population. These students get training in good governance principles, work alongside industry leaders and generally gain extensive experience, while bringing the student voice to the Board table. Four spaces on the 16-member College Council are reserved for students. Council is made up of a cross-section of senior leadership, faculty, support staff and students. It reviews and discusses new policy, reviews and provides input on a broad college-related issues, and has influence on a number of other initiatives. Students can also run for election as a representative of the Board of the Student Association, which is an independent student-run organization.

The Durham College Board of Governors has a student representative elected each year by the broader student population. These students get training in good governance principles, work alongside industry leaders and generally gain extensive experience, while bringing the student voice to the Board table. A call for interested full-time returning students is issued each spring, followed by a nominating period and then an election. Nominations must be signed off by other students and all Durham College students have an opportunity to vote. The elected student governor has an equal voice at the Board table and takes part in all activities and actions of other Board members, including meetings, training, retreats and conferences.

Establishing organizational mission, vision, and/or goals - Students are currently having input into our Strategic Plan process, which includes a review of whether our current Mission, vision and values continue to serve the college well. We will be polling graduating students at Convocation and will use that feedback in coming forward to our Board with a recommendation to change, tweak or keep these important statements. Establishing new policies, programs, or initiatives - Four spaces on the 16-member College Council are reserved for students. Council is made up of a cross-section of senior leadership, faculty, support staff and students. It reviews and discusses new policy, reviews and provides input on a broad college-related issues, and has influence on a number of other initiatives. Two students are members of the college’s Academic Council. Council reviews academic policy and procedure, reviews and provides input on other academic-related issues, and has influence on a number of initiatives, including our academic calendar. The Student Ancillary Fee Protocol Committee is made up of students from each of the college’s academic schools and they review changes to existing fees or the introduction of new fees. Students play a significant role in our Sustainability Committee - Durham College’s Sustainability Committee seeks to enhance the environmental sustainability of campus operations, planning, administration, curriculum, research, innovation and stakeholder engagement. Between 20 and 30 employees and students serve on the committee, representing a broad-scope of departments and programs. The Durham College Board of Governors has a student representative elected each year by the broader student population. The Board is responsible for approving new programs, the college budget and strategic documents, among other responsibilities. Strategic and long-term planning -They are currently involved in input into our Strategic Plan process. More than 100 students have been interviewed individually or as part of a group, responding to a series of questions related to the development of our new plan. Our new first-year students in September will also be consulted on development of the plan and its early drafts, providing them with opportunities to input into it well before a final draft is reached. Existing or prospective physical resources - Students are engaged with any new building project to share their views and perspectives on what is required. They also share their thoughts with professors and academic school staff. Budgeting, staffing and financial planning - There are multiple avenues for students to contribute thoughts, ideas and suggestions regarding these areas of the institution. Communications processes and transparency practices - The college prioritizes strong two-way communications with students. It has developed a student portal, MyCampus, that is used to share news and resources for students related to their program and general campus experience. The college also introduced ‘Durham Cares’, which provides students with a way for students to electronically file general concerns about their experiences. The concerns are assigned to the appropriate department within 24 hours. The president of the college hosts ‘Ask the President’ sessions at both of our campuses. These sessions see him stand in a high profile area of campus and ask students to come and visit him with any question. In exchange he provides them with a small gift. Finally, four spaces on the 16-member College Council are reserved for students. Prioritization of programs and projects -

The Durham College Board of Governors has elected representatives from the support staff, faculty and administrative employee groups. These employees receive extensive training in good governance principles, work alongside industry leaders and have an equal vote and say as external members. Many college employees are asked to represent the college on external boards and committees, providing them with an opportunity to directly impact these organizations. The Durham College Board of Governors puts out an open call for candidates to represent the support staff, faculty and administrative employee groups on the Board. These employees must have their nomination endorsed by colleagues and then run in an election. Voting takes place within the constituency of each group – e.g. faculty vote for faculty, etc. These positions are for a three-year term.

The Durham College Board of Governors puts out an open call for candidates to represent the support staff, faculty and administrative employee groups on the Board. These employees must have their nomination endorsed by colleagues and then run in an election. Voting takes place within the constituency of each group – e.g. faculty vote for faculty, etc.

Establishing organizational mission, vision, and/or goals- Absolutely. They are currently having input into our Strategic Plan process, which includes a review of whether our current Mission, vision and values continue to serve the college well. We have polled them and will use that feedback in coming forward to our Board with a recommendation to change, tweak or keep these important statements. Establishing new policies, programs, or initiatives - The college has a 16-member College Council, which includes four members of our support staff unit. The president chairs the council and there are also faculty members, students and administrators for a true cross-college group. Council reviews and discusses new policy, reviews and provides input on a broad college-related issues, and has influence on a number of other initiatives. Strategic and long-term planning - They are currently involved in input into our Strategic Plan process. At our annual support staff retreat, the group of 30 was asked a series of questions related to the development of our new plan. These employees worked closely with members of the senior leadership team to provide feedback for the plan and also discuss opportunities for the college moving forward. They will have many other opportunities in the months ahead to provide feedback on the plan and its early drafts. Existing or prospective physical resources - We are currently planning for the demolition of our original academic building, which is to be replaced by a new three-storey 75,000 square foot Centre for Collaborative Education. Representatives from all employee groups and all departments are involved in helping to plan the space needs and functionality of the building, along with displacement plans for those currently in our original building. This input has a direct impact on the size of classrooms and labs, the technology to be available and other learning or student space that will be required. We take this approach with all of our building projects. Budgeting, staffing and financial planning - There are multiple ways each year that the college reaches out for input on operational issues, including budget, staffing and general finances. Through input and discussions at team meetings, capital budget submissions are considered each January as part of review for the start of a coming fiscal year’s budget (April 1). The college commits millions of dollars each year on capital projects, all of which are generated through this detailed submission process. Finally, the annual employee town hall always includes a financial update. Leadership solicits feedback and questions in advance of the town hall, many of which are about the budget impact. Communications processes and transparency practices - The college is committed to strong two-way communication. More than six years ago it introduced an intranet to enhance communications, making it one of the few colleges in the system to have an intranet. The college also conducts employee engagement surveys every three years and then has each department prepare work plans to enact some of the suggestions that have come forward. The senior leadership team reviews all survey data to identify areas for growth. Finally, the senior leadership team holds an annual support staff retreat where ‘blue-sky’ thinking is encouraged, and an open dialogue is held on topics of importance to faculty. Prioritization of programs and projects -

The Durham College Board of Governors has elected representatives from the support staff, faculty and administrative employee groups. These employees receive extensive training in good governance principles, work alongside industry leaders and have an equal vote and say as external members. Many college employees are asked to represent the college on external boards and committees, providing them with an opportunity to directly impact these organizations. The Durham College Board of Governors puts out an open call for candidates to represent the support staff, faculty and administrative employee groups on the Board. These employees must have their nomination endorsed by colleagues and then run in an election. Voting takes place within the constituency of each group – e.g. faculty vote for faculty, etc. These positions are for a three-year term.

The Durham College Board of Governors puts out an open call for candidates to represent the support staff, faculty and administrative employee groups on the Board. These employees must have their nomination endorsed by colleagues and then run in an election. Voting takes place within the constituency of each group – e.g. faculty vote for faculty, etc.

Establishing organizational mission, vision, and/or goals - Absolutely. They are currently having input into our Strategic Plan process, which includes a review of whether our current Mission, vision and values continue to serve the college well. We have polled them and will use that feedback in coming forward to our Board with a recommendation to change, tweak or keep these important statements. Establishing new policies, programs, or initiatives - The college has an Academic Council, which is made up of representation from each of our academic schools. A professor is co-chair with our Vice-President, Academic. Council reviews academic policy and procedure, reviews and provides input on other academic-related issues, and has influence on a number of initiatives, including our academic calendar. In addition, four professors are members of our 16-member College Council, which is made up of a cross-section of senior leadership, faculty, support staff and students. College Council reviews and discusses new policy, reviews and provides input on a broad college-related issues, and has influence on a number of other initiatives. Strategic and long-term planning - Absolutely. They are currently involved in input into our Strategic Plan process. Teams of faculty members made presentations at their annual faculty retreat to the senior leadership team on what should be in the plan. Faculty were also asked to submit through our strategic plan website. Faculty will have many other opportunities in the months ahead to provide feedback on the plan and its early drafts. Existing or prospective physical resources - We are currently planning for the demolition of our original academic building, which is to be replaced by a new three-storey 75,000 square foot Centre for Collaborative Education. Faculty and academic schools are involved in helping to plan the space needs and functionality of the building, along with displacement plans for those currently in our original building. This input has a direct impact on the size of classrooms and labs, the technology to be available and other learning or student space that will be required. We take this approach with all of our building projects. Budgeting, staffing and financial planning - There are multiple ways each year that the college reaches out for input on operational issues, including budget, staffing and general finances. Through input and discussions at team meetings, capital budget submissions are considered each January as part of review for the start of a coming fiscal year’s budget (April 1). The college commits millions of dollars each year on capital projects, all of which are generated through this detailed submission process. They also work in academic teams to have an impact on broader college initiatives, through leadership by school deans. Finally, the annual employee town hall always included a financial update. Leadership solicits feedback and questions in advance of the town hall, many of which are about the budget impact. Communications processes and transparency practices - The college is committed to strong two-way communication. More than six years ago it introduced an intranet to enhance communications, making it one of the few colleges in the system to have an intranet. The college also conducts employee engagement surveys every three years and then has each department prepare work plans to enact some of the suggestions that have come forward. The senior leadership team reviews all survey data to identify areas for growth. Finally, the senior leadership team holds an annual faculty retreat where ‘blue-sky’ thinking is encouraged, and an open dialogue is held on topics of importance to faculty. Prioritization of programs and projects -