The governance of Bates College is set out in the charter and bylaws for the college. According to the charter, the president and the board of trustees hold fiduciary responsibility for the institution, and the president is responsible for the governance of all areas of the college. The duties of the president and the board of trustees are further set out in Articles I-VIII of the bylaws. The composition and duties of the faculty are described in Article IX. Note that according to the bylaws, in addition to the teaching faculty, the faculty includes some members of the senior administration, the academic staff, and the head coaches. The more than 200 members of the teaching faculty and head coaches play an important role in the governance of the college. The teaching faculty’s work on ad hoc, appointed, and elected committees, along with some policies specific to the role of teaching faculty, are described in the faculty handbook. The faculty are also employees of the college and as such are subject to the policies and guidance provided in the employee handbook.

Faculty Governance Information

• Committees: Information regarding the composition and charge of the elected, appointed, and ad hoc committees of the college.
• The Faculty Handbook: Information and resources to inform faculty of their work as teachers, scholars, advisors, and members of the faculty body. It also outlines information on faculty rights, responsibilities, and protections and defines the various roles pertaining to shared governance.
• Faculty Meeting Schedule 2025-2026
• Guiding Principles for Faculty Governance
• The 2018 COACHE Faculty Survey. COACHE is a consortium of over 250 colleges and universities dedicated to improving faculty recruitment, development, and retention.
• Faculty Legislation Template. In order to provide the CFG and the faculty the information needed to understand all aspects of a legislation proposal, the CFG has developed a legislation template. Proposals may utilize different formats, but all the elements in the template must be included.
• Policy for Moderated Content. Including Bates Now, and Faculty/Staff listservs.