Results of a survey that gauged faculty, staff and student opinions on the transparency of decision-making processes at NMU will be shared at a campus forum. The event will be held from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, in 1322 Jamrich Hall. A committee charged with developing mechanisms to enhance trust and communication between decision-makers and campus stakeholders made the online, anonymous survey available late in the fall semester.

“We thought a forum would provide some context for the data and foster more meaningful dialogue around the issues than if we simply sent out the results or posted them somewhere,” said Rhea Dever, human resources director and co-chair of the committee. “Some people may have questions about the methodology. This forum will allow for those. It also gives us a chance to remind the campus community of the committee’s charge and our plan to interview campus leaders on how they make and communicate decisions as the next step in the data-collection process.”

About 300 employees and 680 students participated in the survey. Dever said more than 90 percent of employee respondents and 80 percent of students indicated that decision-making matters to them.

“It’s a positive sign that people are engaged and want to be involved,” she said. “That’s something we can leverage moving forward. People understand that they can’t be involved in every decision every day, but they want to have input in decisions that directly impact them or their work. Even if their input isn’t necessarily reflected in the final outcome, they want a better understanding of how a decision was made and they want it openly communicated to them.” 

The committee is composed of a diverse representation of faculty, staff and students. Its transparency initiative is one of three action projects underway at NMU as part of the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) method of accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission. For more information about the project, the committee or timeline, visit www.nmu.edu/AQIP.