Episode notes
Why Staff Governance Matters in Higher Ed | Staff Councils, Leadership & Equity
Who really knows how a college or university runs? In this episode of Creating the Future of Higher Education, the podcast of the American Association of University Administrators (AAUA), host and AAUA Board member Dr. Tim Jansa talks with Dr. Kate Legnetti of NYU Steinhardt about one of the most overlooked drivers of institutional success: professional staff governance.
Faculty governance is well established, but advisors, student affairs professionals, and other administrators often have little formal say in decisions, even though they hold deep institutional knowledge and work with students every day. Drawing on her research across five institutions and her own experience, Dr. Legnetti explains why the lack of a clear definition of "staff" weakens leadership, and how well-designed staff councils and shared governance structures build professional confidence, connect people across campus, improve retention, and give women and other underrepresented groups a seat where decisions are made.
She describes what successful staff councils need: senior champions she calls Administrative Supporters and Liaisons (ASLs), real recognition for service, and dependable support from managers. She also shows how a "fair process" approach to change, built on clear expectations, genuine engagement and transparency, helps leaders roll out initiatives without demoralizing the frontline staff who carry them out. Presidents, provosts, deans, department chairs and managers at every level will come away with practical ideas for building relational capital and treating staff as true partners in shaping the future of higher education.
KEYWORDS: professional staff governance, higher education leadership, staff councils in higher education, shared governance higher ed, higher ed administration, university staff engagement, staff retention in higher education, change management in higher education, fair process leadership, relational capital, women in higher education leadership, student affairs professionals, academic advising leadership, AAUA podcast, Creating the Future of Higher Education