Governance

A Commitment to Collaboration

Sierra College has long been a place where groups put aside competing interests to come together and make big things happen. This collaborative culture permeates every level of the college and is reflected in our governance, program review, and resource allocation processes.

The Purpose of Participatory Governance is to:

  • Provide the process for shared development of policies and regulations.
  • Provide the means through which all members of the academic community – students, faculty, administration, and classified – can participate effectively in the orderly growth and development of the College.
  • Provide the coordination of the College-wide standing committees, academic standing committees, and task forces.

Our Governance System

Board of Trustees

The Sierra College District is governed by a locally-elected, seven-member Board of Trustees consisting of community professionals, business officials, public policy leaders, and leading citizens. 

Learn more about our Board of Trustees. 

Superintendent/President

Guided by the Board of Trustees, the internal and external communities, with adherence to all policies, procedures, regulations and laws, the President is responsible for providing the vision, leadership, and strategic planning for the District.

Learn more about the President’s office.

College Senates

Seeking college-wide input from all constituencies to gain consensus on decision-making is at the heart of Sierra College’s Shared Governance process. To assist in this process, the college has established four main representative committees, the Academic Senate, the Classified Senate, Management and Confidential Senate, and ASSC Student Senate.

Each of the senates has the responsibility through their elected representatives to give the views of constituents at shared governance committee meetings (e.g. Strategic Council) and participate in making recommendations and decisions. The purpose of the four senates is to represent their constituents while working together to reach decisions that benefit the college as a whole. 

Bargaining

There are two bargaining units at Sierra College: United Public Employees of California, Local 792 (UPEC) and Sierra College Faculty Association (SCFA). To learn more, visit Collective Bargaining and Compensation by Employee Group.

Councils and Committees

Sierra College has many committees and councils which plan for the college’s future and keep records of its past. Most of these committees are open to faculty, staff, and students to join. Some are established for a defined period of time and specific purpose and are dissolved once that purpose is accomplished.

Most are ongoing although their membership and purpose may be changed depending on the needs of the committee. Almost all keep some kind of recollections and minutes in order to keep track of decisions made and actions taken. Committees are the usual way for colleges to organize their staff to accomplish day to day work or longer term objectives.