Shared Governance
Commitment to Shared Governance
Shared governance is at the heart of UCLA’s identity, shaping how we make decisions and advance our shared mission. It reflects our commitment to collaboration, mutual respect, and collective responsibility across the campus community. Together, we strengthen UCLA’s excellence by upholding the values that have defined our university for generations.
Strength in Partnership
From the EVCP:
“Shared governance is a foundational value of the University of California, and as EVCP I am deeply committed to its principles. The goal of this page is to illustrate the many ways our campus is engaged in shared governance.
Shared governance is not ornamental — it is the backbone of UCLA’s identity, and it must be strengthened, not eroded, during times of turbulence.
We will not always agree on every decision, but we share something more powerful than our differences — a deep commitment to UCLA’s mission and to the principles that make this university an enduring force for public good. In the face of the challenges ahead, it is in all our best interests to stand together, work collaboratively, and move forward with clarity of purpose and mutual respect.
Through shared governance, we can not only sustain UCLA’s excellence but also reaffirm the values that have defined it for generations.”
– Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt
Concrete Commitments to Enhance Shared Governance
- Enhanced consultation: Working with Senate leadership to develop new, more nimble models for Senate consultation prior to major administrative decisions.
- Greater transparency: Developing shared dashboards and regular reports on financial and administrative priorities.
- Values in action: Reaffirming UCLA’s commitment to academic freedom, inclusion, and the primacy of teaching, research, and service in every decision we make.
Specifics on Shared Governance Engagement
For a full look at the depth and breadth of the relationships between UCLA’s campus leadership and the Academic Senate, please see this spreadsheet detailing our engagement during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years.
- A few key examples of the Senate inclusion and engagement in administrative leadership:
- The Senate Chair participates in the Chancellor’s Cabinet Meeting on a weekly basis.
- The Senate leadership team (three leaders and executive director) attends monthly Senior Leadership meetings alongside deans, vice chancellors and vice provosts.
- The Senate leadership team is included on the Senior Leadership Slack Channel, on which all timely notices are shared across the senior leadership team.
- The Senate Chair is included as a member of campus safety and emergency management teams.
- The Senate has a strong voice in selection and review of all senior leaders (deans, vice provosts and vice chancellors).
- The Committee on Committee recommends Senate representatives
- The Senate leadership team has routine monthly meetings with (separately) Chancellor, EVCP and VC/CFO.
- A few key examples of administrative engagement in Senate processes:
- Chancellor, EVCP and other administrative representatives attend and present at Legislative Assembly meetings.
- Administrators serve as ex-officio representatives on Senate committees.
- EVCP, Deans of Graduate and Undergraduate Education and Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence attend program review exit meetings.
- Faculty Executive Committees
- Deans are deeply engaged in myriad ways with their Faculty Executive Committees, the elected governing bodies for each school and division.
- Additional collaborations:
- Deans and the EVCP are active partners in the senate’s oversight of the program action process and the development of Self-Supporting Degree Programs
- The Chancellor’s Organization funds the Senate’s budget, including compensation for senate staff salaries and senate faculty service stipends.