Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 74.09
Liaison Merry Rankin
Submission Date Aug. 30, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Iowa State University
PA-3: Participatory Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.75 / 3.00 Kerry Dixon
Coordinator of Sustainable Design and Construction
Facilities Planning and Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1

Do the institution’s students have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a student council)? :
Yes

Do the institution’s students have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
Yes

If yes to either of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which students are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
The Student Government is the sole student organization on the campus of Iowa State University that exists to serve and represent all students. The mission of the organization is as follows: "We serve students and improve the student experience through advocacy and empowerment." Elections are held in the spring semester. Constituency councils can appoint members throughout the year. There are over 50 different university committees that appoint student government representatives to voice student opinions to administrative issues. In addition, through Iowa Code Chapter 262, one member of the Board of Regents must be a full-time graduate or undergraduate student at one of the universities at the time of her or his appointment. Each of the three regent institutions take turns in appointing a student representative to the Board. Interested and eligible students submit an application to the university's president, who then includes Student Government (as well as other relevant student organizations and associations) on the selection process. The president then provides a slate of candidates to the governor to be vetted through the governor's office with final appointment being determined by the Governor of Iowa. An Iowa State University student is currently serving in this role.

Do the institution’s staff members have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a staff council)?:
Yes

Do the institution’s non-supervisory staff members have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
No

If yes to either of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which staff are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
The Iowa State University Professional and Scientific (P&S) Council serves as a resource and an advocate for P&S employees. The Professional and Scientific Council is a representative body elected by, and responsible to, P&S employees at Iowa State University. The council identifies the needs of its constituents, provides information and advice in response to those needs, and recommends policies and procedures to the administration that benefit P&S employees and assist in fulfilling the mission of Iowa State University. The mission of the Supervisory & Confidential Council is to facilitate communication on behalf of all S/C employees with the ISU Administration and to represent those employees working in a non-organized merit employment status. The Council shall discuss, formulate and recommend to University administration on policies and procedures of common interest. The Council is made up of seven voting members and two ex-officio members, one member from Human Resource Services and one member from the Provost Office. Council members are elected from the approximately 200 S/C employees and serve for a three year term. The Council is responsible to the President of the University through the Assistant Vice President of Human Resource Services. The Council selects three members to represent Iowa State University on the Regents Interinstitutional Supervisory/Confidential Advisory Council (RISCAC). Representatives from each of the three state universities; Iowa State University, University of Iowa and University of Northern Iowa; along with the Personnel Directors and the Regents Merit System Director meet four times a year to consult on policies and issues pertinent to S/C employees.

Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a faculty senate)?:
Yes

Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body? :
No

If yes to either of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which teaching and research faculty are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
The Faculty Senate represents the general faculty of Iowa State University and participates in shared governance of the University with the administration. It is made up of 82 representatives elected by the general faculty, and divided into caucuses representing each of the seven colleges. The Faculty Senate has legislative responsibility for general academic and educational policy, serving to facilitate communication among faculty, students, and administration. It also cooperates with the administration in conflict resolution, and advises the administration on budgetary and other policy matters. The Faculty Senate conducts its business through a system of five councils (Academic Affairs, Faculty Development and Administrative Relations, Faculty Governance, Judiciary and Appeals, and Resource Policies and Allocations) and their committees. The Executive Board of the Faculty Senate consists of the chairs of the five councils, the chairs of the seven college caucuses, and the officers. The Faculty Senate was established in 1988.

Part 2

Does the institution have written policies and procedures to identify and engage external stakeholders (i.e. local residents) in land use planning, capital investment projects, and other institutional decisions that affect the community?:
Yes

A copy of the written policies and procedures:
ISU_FPM_External_Stakeholder_Engagement_.docx

The policies and procedures:
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Does the institution have formal participatory or shared governance bodies through which community members representing the interests of the following stakeholder groups can regularly participate in institutional governance?:
Yes or No
Local government and/or educational organizations No
Private sector organizations No
Civil society (e.g. NGOs, NPOs) No

If yes to one or more of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which external stakeholders are engaged in institutional governance (including information about each stakeholder group selected above):
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Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.