II. Administrative Structure

Findings

The organizational structure of an institution should be designed to carry out its mission in an effective and cohesive manner. Administration is charged with the task of leading the school forward while engaging in activities that promote productivity, encourage harmony and foster a sense of fairness and appreciation for the diverse contributions of its members. Administrative authority, while vested in the leadership of the school, can be delegated to others within the school membership in order to promote a sense of shared responsibility. Such an approach encourages ownership of the school's mission and reduces the perception that members do not have a voice in the process of running the school.

The Commission questioned the school's administrative structure which heavily concentrates power and authority in the cabinet. At a minimum, the Commission suggested that presently there is inadequate faculty and staff representation on the cabinet. The cabinet structure, while it may be viewed as an efficient method of getting things done in a business, may not be the most effective structure in an innovative educational institution like NCSSM.

The cabinet is perceived as "aloof" and removed from the rest of the campus and the community. This has led to misunderstandings and deficiencies in communication. There seems to be an artificial separation between faculty and staff. There has been a shift back and forth in the use of the terms "staff" and "faculty." However, the feelings are deeper than the choice of words to describe the groups. There is a lack of understanding of the diverse roles, changes, pluses and minuses of each of the departments within the overall operation of the school.

It is appropriate that the Executive Director is accountable only to the Board of Trustees, but it is unclear how the board defines his responsibilities and measures his effectiveness on a regular, systematic basis. It is not clear how the objectives of the Executive Director are established nor is there any evidence that there is a regular review or evaluation process in place.

Recommendations

1. Trustees need to define the role and responsibilities of the Executive Director regarding internal and external affairs and communicate to the campus community on how these responsibilities are defined. The proper management structure needs to be established to carry out these responsibilities in a clear, efficient and inclusive way.
2. There should be more interaction and collaboration in such a student-centered school. The Executive Director and the Board of Trustees need a more effective mechanism to assure the input of those closest to the students in the classroom and residence halls.
3. The board and Executive Director should review the administrative structure of the cabinet including representation of various groups. (For example, consideration should be given to adding additional faculty and staff representation.)
4. The Commission sees a major opportunity, particularly as the distance learning component of the school's mission expands, to seek a new level of expertise on the board. The addition and emphasis on the distance learning program should be reason enough for a review of the way the campus operates. The board or a subcommittee of the board needs to become more involved in achieving a balance of the often-competing programs within the NCSSM structure.
5. Regular meetings of senior administrators, faculty department heads and staff should be held for discussion, problem exploration, and consensus building.
6. At a minimum, more across-the-board team-building and team-training should occur. At present, the cabinet seems to be the group most involved in this approach. In particular, diversity training needs to be mandated for all faculty and staff on a regular basis. While the Commission recognizes that additional resources will be needed to accomplish this, it is critical to the future of NCSSM.
7. The Commission heard numerous concerns about the faculty contract renewal process and specific fear that faculty could be dismissed/not renewed without cause or fair warning. There needs to be linkage between faculty performance, contract review and renewals in order to assure that the process is uniformly and fairly applied. At a minimum, the appeals process for non-contract renewal needs to be reviewed, with faculty input, and in line with state law and personnel regulations.
8. A meaningful, effective Staff Council should be formed, and it should be representative of all staff functions. There should be no climate of fear in regard to honest, open discussions at the council meetings and there should be regular opportunities for interaction with the administration and the Faculty Council.