The four constituent groups of the College – students (Student Senate), faculty (Academic Senate), classified staff (Classified Senate), and administrators work together in committees and administrative units to further the work of the College for the benefit of students. Each group is organized to support its members as they work within the administrative and committee components to strengthen a student’s experience at West Valley College. Although employees bring a different perspective and expertise to our mutual tasks and separate Work Groups, each constituent group is led by a Senate or Leadership Team that functions as a representational body for the overall group.
Participatory Governance: Education Code §70902(b)(7) calls on the California Community Colleges Board of Governors to enact regulations to establish procedures that are consistent with minimum standards established by the board of governors to ensure faculty, staff, and students the opportunity to express their opinions at the campus level, to ensure that these opinions are given every reasonable consideration, to ensure the right to participate effectively in district and college governance, and to ensure the right of academic senates to assume primary responsibility for making recommendations in the areas of curriculum and academic standards.
Participatory governance is an inherent relationship between involvement in decision-making and responsibility/ accountability for the decisions made West Valley College embraces participatory governance and its governance structure reflects the participation of faculty, staff, students, and administrators.
View the Participatory Governance Handbook for more details.