Shared Governance
At Sterling College, we practice community governance. This means your voice can be heard in every area of Sterling College life: academics, community, and work.
Students engage in restorative community, solve problems, create policy, assist in hiring faculty and staff, propose and review new courses, evaluate work program positions, and even choose the coffee we serve in the dining hall.
Community Meeting
We are the only college in the nation in which the whole community of students and faculty sits together each week in a circle for community meeting. At Sterling, we value our connection to each other and the typical formality between faculty and students is not to be found. Not surprisingly, we are all on first name basis, including the president, deans, and faculty.
Community Meeting happens every Wednesday after lunch in Dunbar. Everyone pushes their chairs into a circle, and we discuss issues and awarenesses, make announcements, and share appreciations. Each Community Meeting is facilitated by a different student.
To dig into campus issues more deeply, we have three councils that meet weekly:
Community Council
Community Council is a regular opportunity to engage in conversations around the state of the College and will convene when it is determined that deeper conversations are necessary for the health of our community. All members of the College may join Community Council, and the Council to holds itself accountable for the wellbeing, safety, and integrity of our community.
Work Council
The Work Council meets regularly to evaluate the work program, its crews, positions, and supervisors. All members of the College may join the Work Council, which is accountable for the assessment and creation of work program policies, positions, and partnerships.
Academic Council
The Academic Council has responsibility for presenting formal recommendations to the Dean of Academics concerning development, review, assessment, and modification of the credit-bearing components of Sterling College programs. Membership of the Academic Council is established each semester, and consists of students and faculty.
Students can also make their voices heard in these committees:
Land & Energy
The Land & Energy Committee is a clearinghouse for information and decisions on projects, which affect land use and energy development on Sterling College property.
Risk Management
The purpose of the Risk Management Committee is to identify, monitor, and manage hazards and dangers in order to reduce the potential for incidents that could result in injury, illness, fatality, or damage.
Sterling isnโt just a college you attend. You will own your experience here, and leave your mark on this place.
