Communication is the key when it comes to suggestions from thereaccreditation team about the governance process at Ball State. Inthe report, BSU was commended on the university's communityinvolvements in the governance process. However, the team saidimprovements need to be made with communication between the Boardof Trustees, central administration and the entire universitycommunity.
Noting that she has only been here a short while, President JoAnn Gora said there is no mystery to having effectivecommunication. She said at first glance that there is frequentcommunication, and methods of communications range from an e-mailto face-to-face talks. It is too early now, but by the end of theyear she will better understand the flow of communication in theuniversity, she said.
The report suggested the chairman of the board and the presidentcreate frequent and specific methods of communication between thetwo groups. The report noted the president should be the major, ifnot the only point of contact between the university and the board.Most universities support this type of structure, and Gora said sheexpects to be the main point of contact.
"I meet personally with President Gora every two weeks and weare doing a great job keeping each other informed," Tom DeWeese,Board of Trustees president, said.
One suggested opportunity for open communication is the Board ofTrustees' retreat. DeWeese said this retreat is in the fall. Therethey discuss planning for the future and evaluations are done.
"There they consider larger issues in a more thoughtful manner,than in the regular meeting," Gora said.
The report stated at the retreat the president could present hervision, or "work plan," for the university for the upcoming yearwith the specific objectives he or she is expected to accomplishfor the year.
Another recommendation is for the president to ask other seniorstaff members to prepare reports to be given out before theretreat. At this retreat, the reports would be presented anddiscussed. Gora said the Board sets the retreat agenda and it istheir decision to include the reports.
"This will be beneficial to think about the year's intentionsand to share plans with the board," Gora said.
Bruce Hozeski, English professor and University Senate vicepresident, suggested bringing back a luncheon sponsored by theBoard with current officers and past chairmen.
Another report recommendation for effective communication wouldbe the use of evaluations. According to the report, high levelgovernance members would benefit from an evaluation of thepresident's performance.
"As long as we have open communication and we talk about issues,formal written evaluations are not needed," DeWeese said.
The report suggested senior governing members should evaluatethe president's performance. Gora said she agrees that thegovernance system would benefit from regular evaluations.
"Regular and frequent evaluations throughout the year would bemore effective than annual evaluations at the end of the year,"Gora said.
The team also suggested the Board of Trustees create a "genuinecommittee structure." The report said this would allow for morecontact and information exchanges between the board members andsenior members of the administration. The team said the structureshould consist of two or three committees related to a majorspecific function in the university, such as Student Affairs,Finance and Facilities, with each group consisting of three to fourmembers. DeWeese said he thinks the current methods ofcommunication are effective.
It was also suggested that brief reports from each of thesecommittees should be given at every board meeting and therepresentatives from each group should be present.
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