Landmines, Allies, and Committees:  A Practical Guide to Shared Faculty Governance (a Leadership Ecosystem Webinar)

Where: Webinar/Virtual

When: Thursday, November 19, 2026
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EST 

Note: Zoom login instructions will be sent the day prior. If you have not received login instructions by 4:00 pm the day before the webinar, please check your spam folder; if you still have not received the login details, please email nercomp@nercomp.org.

Workshop Organizers:  Erin DeSilva of Dartmouth College

Registration Fee:
NERCOMP Member: Free
Non-Member: Free

Event Overview:|
In institutions with “shared governance”, the faculty senate handbook or org chart does not tell the whole story. Governance lives not on paper, but in the shared relationships built by IT and Library professionals. This is especially important for those stepping into roles that answer to faculty in new ways, and also when a new reality might call for a fresh set of skills or perspectives.

This session brings together campus IT leaders who work with faculty to talk candidly about what it takes to lead effectively when decision-making authority might be unclear, or not equally shared. We will explore how to build trust and credibility with faculty, how to work through and with academic leadership channels, how to spot landmines and gather allies. We will also ask some practical questions such as: how can we set up scaffolding so that committees are effective? How can we ensure the right proposals are in front of the right people in the right order?

Our conversations will draw on real-life examples, from MFA rollout to AI in the classroom. We will discuss when it’s most helpful to seek faculty leadership and direction, how to forefront compliance when administrative details might be in conflict with faculty desire, and how to bring people along either way. We will also discuss big challenges that can occur when one voice dominates, charges from leadership that collide with faculty culture, or when “us and them” thinking results in either faculty or IT being treated as a monolith.

This webinar is part of NERCOMP's Leadership Ecosystem series, which focuses on critical leadership issues facing information-focused organizations and professionals in higher education.

Session Outcomes:
Attendees will be able to:
 - Identify informal channels of governance within the formal faculty: IT shared structures that may exist
 - Brainstorm some creative workarounds for common challenges within shared governance structures
 - Evaluate when to seek faculty guidance and methods for engaging a diverse set of opinions 

Moderator: Erin DeSilva, Senior Associate Provost for Learning Innovation, Dartmouth College

Panelists:
Sherri Castanzo, Deputy CIO for Digital Innovation at Bowdoin College
Fred Kass, Associate CIO for IT Operations, Amherst College
Karen Warren, Chief Information Officer, Mount Holyoke College

This session will not be recorded.

This session is for individuals employed by higher education institutions only. No vendors, please.

 

Accessibility
NERCOMP strives to make its online offerings and in-person workshops accessible to all registrants.  Please contact us should you have an accessibility need. We've worked to provide resources that are accessible to as many people as possible, and if you encounter any issues while attending our events, please contact us at accessibility@nercomp.org or at 860-345-2081 to request assistance.