I am pleased to welcome you to the website for University of Detroit Mercy Shared Governance. Shared governance is just that, shared rights and responsibilities among administrators, faculty, staff, and where appropriate, students and alumni. The spirit of shared governance at Detroit Mercy is a dynamic faculty-administrator-staff partnership that promotes collaboration, shared decision-making and accountability. The governance structure provides an opportunity for the ongoing assessment and improvement in many aspects of the university and an expanded communication avenue to enhance the academic and administrative functions of the university.
All university constituencies share in the university mission as a Catholic urban university sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy and the Society of Jesus. Central to this common mission is quality teaching and learning supported by an efficient and effective administrative structure. Shared governance provides opportunities to identify and bring to life new interrelationships that strengthen the common mission. As such, it is the expertise across the spectrum of administrators, faculty, and staff and each one's commitment to being involved, giving of his/her time and energy that makes shared governance successful.
Take a few moments to learn about the shared governance structures of the Corktown, McNichols, and Riverfront campuses, committee and team memberships, annual charges to each entity, approved proposals, and much more information. Of particular note is the Shared Governance Task Force which has oversight responsibility and final authority that monitors shared governance activities.
Professor Pamela Zarkowski, JD, MPH
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
To submit minutes and any other governance documents for posting and for questions, concerns, or requests for editorial changes, please email sharedgovernance@udmercy.edu.
Greetings!
I believe it is both an honor and a privilege to be serving as the current President of the McNichols Faculty Assembly (MFA) at the University of Detroit Mercy. Shared governance at Detroit Mercy has a proud history now of more than 20 years of collaboration with university leadership, and in this capacity plays a vital role in assisting with the creation and continuous improvement of the University's academic programs and curriculum, as well as with maintaining and reviewing rigorous academic policies. In the spirit of professional collaboration that defines shared governance, I believe the McNichols Faculty Assembly also serves a vital role as a collective, democratically elected voice for faculty members and library faculty from the colleges and schools of the McNichols campus, working collaboratively with university leadership to strengthen Detroit Mercy's academic programs.
All these efforts are of course guided by the University's identity as a Catholic University in the Jesuit and Mercy traditions, and our mission to provide excellent student-centered education in an urban context. As I hope you will see from this webpage, the work of shared governance at Detroit Mercy is truly a shared, collaborative enterprise that is carried out by many highly dedicated faculty, librarians, administrators, and staff, who serve as college representatives or on the committees and teams of our shared governance structure. During my term as MFA President, I very much look forward to doing my part to facilitate the work of so many productive and mission-focused colleagues.
Steven Abell, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
President, McNichols Faculty Assembly
313 578-0423
Broadly speaking, shared governance is a system whereby those who have a stake in decisions, have a voice in the decision making processes. The underlying premise is that staff, faculty, administrators and the Board of Trustees, while having different institutional roles, perspectives and levels of authority, have a shared interest in the quality of education and the welfare of the institution. Collaboration, communication and cooperation are key components to the success fo any shared governance endeavor.
While shared governance may look different at different institutions, this LibGuide provides a working overview of shared governance at the University of Detroit Mercy.