Strengthening Faculty Shared Governance:
CU Denver's Colleges, Schools and Library
In 2024, the Office of the Provost initiated a broad review of faculty shared governance across CU Denver’s schools, colleges, and the Auraria Library. It did so in response to a 2022 Faculty Assembly resolution urging the university to enhance shared governance across these units.
To keep faculty perspectives at the forefront of this project, the Office of Faculty Affairs enlisted Associate Professor and former Faculty Assembly Chair Peter Anthamatten to examine existing bylaws, governance structures, and compliance with relevant CU Board of Regents laws and policies. In May 2024, he published a State of Faculty Shared Governance report with recommendations—which the Office of the Provost fully endorses.
Since that time, these recommendations have been socialized with deans and other administrative and faculty leaders. They have been refined toward specific actionable bylaw and practice revisions that each college (as well as CU Denver’s central administrative and faculty leaders) should implement.
In March 2025, we introduce the full Recommendations to Strengthen Faculty Shared Governance report to the CU Denver community.
The following key principles guide these recommendations:
Tailored Approaches: Shared governance structures should align with the unique needs and histories of each academic unit while adhering to Regent laws and policies.
Collaborative Commitment: Strengthening governance requires partnership among faculty, administration, and the Faculty Assembly.
Active Faculty Engagement: Governance thrives when faculty take an active role in shaping and implementing its practices.
Many of these recommendations are already being implemented, thanks to faculty dedication and the support of college leadership. A progress update will be issued in Spring 2026, followed by a faculty shared governance progress survey in Spring 2027. The Office of Faculty Affairs, alongside Faculty Fellow Peter Anthamatten, remains available to support governance units across academic units.