Governance Commitment

Policy Statement

The Board shall govern the College in accordance with the Michigan Constitution, the Michigan Community College Act, Higher Learning Commission Accreditation standards, bylaws, and through adherence to the principles of Carver’s policy governance model.

As elected fiduciary representatives of the college community, the Board shall be accountable for the College’s performance and shall establish policies that communicate appropriate Ends and Executive Limitations and ensure monitoring and accountability measures are clearly identified and reported. Reporting frequency and methods for monitoring and accountability shall be determined by the Board. Since the CEO operates the College as its primary employee, the Board has a direct interest in ensuring that the CEO is successful. To that end, the Board will communicate to the CEO clear performance expectations with an emphasis on how those expectations will be monitored and evaluated. These performance expectations shall be communicated through Board policy and/or resolution. To ensure the Board’s performance expectations are clearly understood, consistent, and fulfilled, the Board shall communicate solely with the CEO.

Trustee requests for information, including existing reports, shall be made to the CEO.

Ends policies describe the College’s purpose and impact on the community and contain three critical components: 1) which programs and services are to be provided; 2) for whom; and 3) at what cost. The Board recognizes that operational decisions of the College are Means decisions and the CEO shall make all Means decisions. While not an exhaustive list, Means decisions may include personnel matters, financial planning, purchasing, programs, services and curricula, and internal organizational structure. The Board acknowledges the Ends/Means distinction is critical to the College’s success. The Board is not charged with producing Ends, only with defining them. The CEO is solely responsible for producing the Board’s defined Ends and deciding what Means to use.

To strengthen the CEO’s accountability to the Board, the Board shall establish Executive Limitations on Means decisions. These board-defined Executive Limitations will provide the CEO with clear direction about which Means decisions are unacceptable. Unless otherwise noted in Executive Limitations, the CEO has full authority to make any Means decision deemed necessary to accomplish the Board’s Ends. 

The Board recognizes that Executive Limitations potentially limit creativity and may increase the cost of providing the Board’s Ends. As such, the Board will endeavor to minimize the number of Executive Limitations. Executive Limitations shall focus on practices, activities, and decisions that may be imprudent, illegal, and/or contrary to commonly accepted business practices and professional ethics. 

Change Log

• 04-17-2018  Initial policy approved by Board to become effective 7-1-18
• 07-01-2018  Effective date of initial policy
• 04-18-2020  Board review; no change