Strengths

• Governance at Millersville is by tradition conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust.
• There are many opportunities for faculty and, to some extent, for staff and students to provide input in the decision-making process. The resulting feeling of openness promotes collegiality and facilitates an environment in which shared governance can flourish.
• Millersville's participative style of management and governance has enabled us to make decisions that are rational and fiscally responsible, thereby ensuring stability and direction for the entire community.
• A deep sense of pride in and commitment to Millersville University pervades the institution. This has been recognized and commented upon by consultants and other visitors to the campus.
• We are fortunate to have the involvement and support of the members of our Council of Trustees.

Areas of Concern

• Millersville is not always able to respond in a timely manner to regional needs and societal changes with new academic programs (see Chapter 3).
• It has become increasingly difficult to fill committee vacancies.
• The flow of information to employees can sometimes seem overwhelming, making it difficult to distinguish the truly important from the "nice to know."

Recommendations

• Continue to sustain an atmosphere of openness so that collegiality and shared governance can flourish.
• Nurture a climate in which participation on committees is perceived as service that is rewarding and rewarded. Work to increase the efficiency of committees by providing training for committee chairs in running meetings and completing assignments efficiently.

Suggestions

• Find ways to "filter" information to employees, helping them identify that which is most important. Simplify and coordinate communication using appropriate electronic mechanisms such as Microsoft Outlook (see Chapter 7) to rapidly transmit the most important information.
• Extend the training of CI concepts to employees at all levels, and develop a feedback mechanism to acknowledge employee suggestions for process studies.