Governance at CCCK
In its day-to-day operations, Central Christian College of Kansas relies on a system of shared governance, which seeks to maintain an environment that promotes participation and partnership, with an intentional desire to encourage “facilitative” responses, over “directives”.
As expressed in the Guiding Values of the Higher Learning Commission and reflected in the 2025 Criteria for Accreditation, effective institutional governance depends on a balance of leadership, independence, and collaboration. The College affirms the importance of a governing board that operates with integrity and autonomy, free from undue influence, while delegating operational authority to the administration. Within this structure, the faculty retain primary responsibility for academic matters, including the currency and sufficiency of the curriculum, standards for student performance, qualifications of instructional personnel, and adequacy of academic support resources. In alignment with the revised 2025 Criteria:
- Criterion 2: Integrity emphasizes ethical governance, the independence of the board, and the responsible delegation of authority to institutional leaders.
- Criterion 3: Teaching and Learning recognizes the essential role of faculty in shaping and maintaining the academic integrity of the institution.
- Criterion 4: Sustainability highlights the value of inclusive and collaborative planning, ensuring that governance structures engage faculty, staff, students, administration, and the governing board in meaningful dialogue and institutional decision-making.
The following are guiding principles that help define how shared governance is operationalized:
- The College will responsibly and responsively maintain systems (e.g. committees, structures, and channels) that garner appropriate diverse perspectives concerning institutional processes and decisions.
- The College and members of its constituency will communicate openly and with transparency by welcoming an exchange of ideas without risk of reprisal.
- The College will seek to foster a culture of collaboration, engagement, and collective investment in the mission of the College.
The primary purpose of the governance system used by the College is to provide an organized forum for stakeholder groups to remain informed about and involved in the work of the College, with a specific focus on maintaining avenues allowing individuals and groups to inform and influence the decision-making process.
The governance process recognizes that not all constituents will be engaged in every institutional decision. However, the structure provides for a diversity of opinion, which is essential to a culture of inclusion and accountability. Therefore, and according to the guidelines set forth herein, each Governance Committee is empowered to pursue applicable business, ultimately resulting in a decision, recommendation, and/or referral, which are in turn submitted to the College Council.
To aid the College in its ongoing assessment and in its responsibility to the Higher Learning Commission, each governance body is apportioned sub-components of the Criteria for Accreditation. Each Governance Committee is charged to evaluate, address, and report on these sub-components as part of the ongoing work of the Assurance Argument. In addition, each Governance Committee is charged with the guardianship of key documents.
The menu to the left provides access to other governance-related resources.
Governance Structure
Central Christian College of Kansas maintains a shared governance model that emphasizes collaboration, transparency, and inclusive decision-making. This structure ensures that faculty, staff, students, and administrative leaders all contribute meaningfully to the direction of the College, while aligning efforts with the mission, vision, and strategic priorities of the College. This is done through a network of collaborative structures that support both policy formation and institutional accountability. These include Constituent Groups, Committees (Standing, Working, and Task), and the College Council, in relationship with the Administrative Staff and Board of Trustees.
- Constituent Groups: Constituent Groups, defined further below, form the heart of the shared governance model by electing or appointing representatives to differing committees and the College Council, in or to inform decision-making (voice) and maintain institutional awareness (ear).
- Students: Encompassing all enrolled students—online and residential, undergraduate and graduate, full-time and part-time—students are the primary recipients of the College’s educational services. Through student government, advisory groups, and appointed roles, students provide essential input on policy, programming, and campus life. Their involvement ensures that institutional planning remains student-centered.
- Faculty: This group includes all teaching personnel, including full-time, part-time, adjunct, pro-rata, and emeriti faculty. Faculty members are central to curriculum oversight, assessment, and the maintenance of academic standards. Faculty representatives are elected or appointed to participate in Governance Committees, the Faculty Senate, and other key bodies to ensure that academic integrity and faculty insight are embedded in institutional decisions.
- Operational Staff: This assembly includes professional, technical, and support personnel who contribute to non-instructional operations of the College. Staff provide stability, institutional memory, and functional expertise. Through elected or appointed representation, they serve on governance committees to ensure that planning and implementation efforts reflect operational realities and support cross-departmental collaboration.
- Coaching Staff: Recognized as both educators and mentors, coaches contribute to the co-curricular development of students and the formation of campus culture. Their role in shared governance reflects their influence on student success, retention, and team culture. Coaches are appointed to serve on relevant committees to ensure that athletic perspectives are considered in institutional decisions.
- Committees: Committees allow for dialogue and deliberation around topics germane to their scope and area of influence. As representative bodies of key institutional functions, these committees review proposals from members, other committees, and subcommittees, and generate formal recommendations for consideration by the College Council or Faculty Senate. Their primary charge is to ensure collaboration and institutional alignment.
- Standing: These are permanent bodies charged with reviewing policies, making recommendations, and taking action within the scope of their defined responsibilities. They frequently originate campus-wide policy proposals and work in close partnership with the College Council and Faculty Senate. These committees are typically led by appointed members and are responsible for monitoring, adjudicating, or representing the interests of their assigned areas.
- Working: These are formally recognized groups that may be ongoing or ad hoc, established to address specific, often time-bound institutional needs. While not always active, they exist within the College’s governance framework and can be activated as needed.
- Task: A task force is a working group established by the President to address a single defined task, activity, or specific problem. They tend to be short in duration (less than two years) and specific in focus. The use of a Task Force is ideal for identifying issues, collecting information, reviewing and analyzing the information, and making recommendations. In response, the President can then work with Standing Committees to evaluate the credibility of the recommendations and work towards implementation of those recommendations that are most beneficial to ongoing operations.
- College Council: The College Council is the plenary governance body of the College, vested with the responsibility to facilitate and promote the collective interests of the campus community. It is established to provide a structure for the internal stakeholders of the College to fulfill their responsibilities in the governance of the College. As such, the College Council operates in harmony with the College Governance structure, as well as the governance structure of the Board of Trustees and the Faculty Senate. The College Council has the general power and responsibility to advise the President on College-wide policy and procedure, guarding and preserving the participatory decision-making processes. The College Council, in conjunction with the President, is given the responsibility and authority to propose and adopt policies, regulations, and procedures in accordance with the College’s missional and strategic objectives. The College Council also serves as the representative assembly through which operational concerns may be brought forward and discussed.
- Faculty Senate: As an educational institution, the governance structure embraces both the historical collegial governance model and the role of academic freedom, which recognizes an interdependent decision-making process. It also recognizes the horizontal and vertical components that characterize curricular oversight. Broadly speaking, the governance structure abstains from prescribing horizontal components of faculty leadership, such as communication between divisions, departments, and programs, while seeking to enhance the vertical interactions between the Faculty and other College-wide bodies. The President of the College relies on the Faculty Senate to provide direction, oversight, policy, and assessment on academic and faculty-related matters. Beyond those general functions afforded to each Governance Committee, the College specifically depends upon the Faculty Senate to resolve and recommend policies, procedures, and practices concerning the following academic and professional matters (10+1).
- Presidential Leadership Structure: The Office of the President holds final institutional authority for the review and implementation of policies, strategic plans, and operational actions. The President may approve, return, or redirect recommendations, and may forward matters to the Board of Trustees when appropriate. In alignment with Presidential authority, the President leads through a two-tiered administrative structure designed to enhance institutional clarity, strategic execution, and operational coordination
- The President’s Cabinet consists of the College’s Vice Presidents and serves as the senior leadership council. Cabinet members are responsible for advancing the mission, vision, and strategic goals of the College. This body focuses on cross-functional collaboration, policy development, institutional direction, and long-term planning. The Cabinet advises the President and helps ensure that College-wide initiatives are effectively led and communicated across divisions.
- The Leadership Team includes operational leaders such as VP’s, chief officers, and directors identified by the President. This team supports the tactical coordination of day-to-day operations and works to implement strategic initiatives at the functional level. While not necessarily a policymaking body, the Leadership Team plays a critical advisory role in translating institutional priorities into daily practice and resource deployment (procedures).
- The Board of Trustees: The BOT provides final legal and fiduciary authority for the College. The Board oversees presidential performance, approves major policies and budgets, manages institutional risk, and ensures alignment with the mission. Board decisions are communicated back to the campus through the President and, when applicable, the College Council.
