Governance Processes

Those who will be impacted, and those who hold responsibility, are invited into a process in which decisions are made through shared leadership that actively seeks consensus on the best way forward with respect to any given issue or opportunity. By seeking general agreement (consensus) rather than majority opinion, the College is able to maximize institutional effectiveness while fostering a continuing culture of participatory governance and shared leadership.  The purpose of governance is to achieve valued outputs which are strategies, solutions, and/or recommendations that advance ARC in the direction of maximizing institutional effectiveness. Valued outputs are achieved through participation and dialogue.

ARC’s Institutional Governance Online Repository (IGOR) is where agendas, meeting notes, membership rosters, and other governance documents are stored.  Anyone in the college community can view the details of recent governance activity via IGOR.

The governance structure has an Executive tier which is made up of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and the President’s Executive staff (PES).  These groups review and consider recommendations from the three chartered councils: Institutional Effectiveness (IEC), Operations Council (OC), and Student Success Council (SSC).

Participation

How are projects initiated?

Projects are sponsored by one of the councils, recommended by the ELT, and authorized by the ARC President. Please see the Project Initiation Flowchart for details. Project initiation usually happens each spring to identify and authorize projects for the upcoming academic year. In some cases, a project may be initiated in an expedited manner at a different time of year to allow ARC to be responsive and agile.

How are project team members selected?

The College President, in consultation with ELT, designates the Project Steward (aka project manager), Project Leads, and the expected composition of the team. Positions may be designated for potential inclusion based on role and responsibilities. The President indicates the number of representative appointments needed and individual appointments are determined according to the processes established by each constituent groups' representative body.

How do I get involved?

If you are interested in an upcoming project, please contact the leadership of your constituency to let them know that you would like to participate.

What can I expect?

Projects follow a predictable trajectory that begins with project initiation and progresses through project steps. The team is assigned work to complete in the project charter. The team works together on the deliverables which are submitted (delivered) to their sponsoring council.

Constituency group representing bodies assign representatives to councils and workgroups to ensure diversity and equity in addressing strategic ARC governance needs; addresses professional development needs of constituents; provides for ad hoc participation in meetings to deliberate issues not addressed elsewhere; operates in accordance with California Education Code, Title 5 Regulations, and Los Rios Board Policy.  Visit constituency groups:

Management also acts as a constituency group and convenes as the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Administrative Leadership Council (ALC).

Governance groups strive to keep to a regular meeting schedule as follows:

There is a PDF document showing the regular schedule for most ARC governance groups.