Purpose and Introduction

  In 1988, the California Legislature and the Governor approved AB 1725 directing the California Community College Board of Governors to develop regulations designed to:

…ensure faculty, staff, and students (have) the opportunity to express their opinions at the campus level, and to ensure that these opinions are given every reasonable consideration, and the right to participate effectively in district and college governance, and the right of academic senates to assume primary responsibility for making recommendations in the areas of curriculum and academic standards (70900.5).

Upon direction from the Legislature, the California Community College Board of Governors adopted Title 5 regulations to implement AB 1725. For faculty, these regulations are contained in §51023 and again in §53201 specifically for Academic Senates. Regulations pertaining to classified staff are found in §51023.5 and those pertaining to students are under §51023.7. The Board of Governors then directed each community college district Board of Trustees to adopt local policies and procedures to implement these Title 5 regulations.

The Cabrillo College Board of Trustees policies supporting the Title 5 regulations are contained in Board Policy 2510 Links to an external site. and implemented in Administrative Policy 2510 Links to an external site.: Participation in Local Decision-Making.

The purpose of the Participatory Governance Handbook: Decision Making and Committee Roles in Effective Institutional Planning is to collect, document, and present the major college policies, procedures, and committees related to governance in planning and decision-making. The document serves as a convenient guide for the college community and as a resource for newly hired employees as they consider their role in active institutional planning and effectiveness outcomes. This handbook is reviewed and updated by the College Planning Committee (CPC) on a regular basis of at least every three years.

At Cabrillo College, participatory governance is grounded in the inclusion of faculty, staff, students, and administrators in the decision-making processes. (In times of emergency, some decisions will be made through Emergency Operations Command (EOC)  per BP3505 Links to an external site. and AP3505 Links to an external site.: Emergency Response Plan.) The inclusion of all constituent groups and varying viewpoints promotes effective collaboration in college planning. The Faculty Senate, the Associated Students of Cabrillo College (ASCC) Student Senate, Administrative Council representatives, Confidentials, and the collective bargaining units for Classified Staff and Faculty are all present at the highest governance council, the CPC. Consistent and effective communication among constituent representatives and their respective constituent bodies is critical for successful decision-making. Membership on any participatory governance committee assumes regular communication with constituent bodies either through a written or oral report. For ease of reporting, a constituency report out templates are provided here. 

For questions or corrections, contact the Planning and Research Office.