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Governance Survey 2012

The purposes of the survey are
(a) Self-reflection by Board Members
(b) Documenting changes since the 2009 BoG Survey
(c) Discovery of governance areas needing improvement and identifying people who could contribute to that improvement, and
(d) Fulfilling Middle States requirement that Boards assess their performance for the purpose of making improvements in time for our ten-year Self-Study report due in November

The ORIA has made the Middle States requirements easy to access. Find them by typing
wiki.huc.edu into your address bar and click next to number 3.1 MSCHE Accreditation Standards.

Each question below has been worded so that you can agree or disagree using the five-point scale provided. Please click on the button below the answer that best fits your opinion. If you have questions or comments about the survey or an item in it, please contact David Dirlam at ddirlam@huc.edu or 513-487-3234.

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* 1. Did you take the 2009 HUC-JIR Board Survey?

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* 2. How long have you been a member of the board?

Mission as approved by the Board of Governors at the February 1998 meeting

HUC-JIR is a religious and scholarly learning community dedicated to:

* Developing Jewish professional and lay leaders to transmit and apply to contemporary life the sustaining values, responsibilities and texts of our tradition;
* Applying the open and pluralistic spirit of the Reform movement to the study of the great issues of Jewish life and thought.
* Advancing the critical study of Jewish culture and related disciplines in accordance with the highest standards of modern academic scholarship.

Purpose

HUC-JIR serves as:

The educational and intellectual center of Reform Judaism:
* Training and sustaining rabbis, cantors, communal and educational professionals throughout their careers for service to Reform Judaism and klal Yisrael;
* Providing higher learning for scholars of religion of all faiths;
* Supporting the educational and spiritual growth of lay leadership for the Reform movement;
* Creating and disseminating scholarly research and publication;
* Preserving and providing access to library, archival and museum resources;
* Working with Jewish institutions worldwide to enhance Jewish life, learning and values and to shape the Jewish experience of the future.

A Jewish religious community built on God, Torah, avodah, mitzvot, and Tikkun Ha-olam:
* Integrating Jewish tradition, academic knowledge and professional competence in the development of our students;
* Creating a religious community that gives meaning to the educational experience and provides a model for students to take with them into their lives and work;
* Instilling in its members exceptional leadership skills and spiritual growth enabling them to become catalysts of transformation in the creation of vibrant Jewish communities.

An innovative resource and learning center working with Reform congregations and leaders, the Jewish organizational world and the religious and academic community at large;
* Providing a forum for creative Jewish thought;
* Acknowledging and supporting a diverse community of scholars, students and staff committed to academic freedom and rigor;
* Contributing to the real-life decisions and growth of the Reform Jewish community worldwide;
* Sustaining a vital relationship with the People and the Land by cultivating the growth of Reform Judaism in Israel.

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* 3. Do you think HUC-JIR purpose and mission statements are relevant for today's time?

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* 4. Do you think HUC-JIR mission and purpose statements are accurate reflections of what HUC-JIR does?

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* 5. I use the HUC-JIR purpose and mission statements as guides to decisions that I make as a Board member.

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* 6. I had a thorough introduction to my responsibilities as a governor at the beginning of my term.

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* 7. I have a thorough understanding of HUC’s budget and finances.

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* 8. I had a thorough, prepared introduction to the educational programs, and administrative structures and services of HUC-JIR on all campuses at the beginning of my term that is refreshed and updated when significant changes have taken place.

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* 9. I believe the mission statement should be modified in order to be a more effective decision making tool.

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* 10. The Board monitors the President’s effectiveness/performance, including establishing goals and reviewing performance against these goals.

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* 11. The Board is effective in providing appropriate levels of counsel and direction to the President (i.e. oversight without micromanagement).

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* 12. The Board helps to ensure that the academic leadership and faculty share responsibility for the coherence of the curriculum and the integrity of academic processes.

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* 13. The Board is actively engaged in the strategic planning process and effectively uses the strategic plan as part of its organizational governance responsibilities for policy and resource development (documents to consider are the February 2006 Report of the Strategic Planning Committee and all the New Way Forward documents mentioned in Board minutes from October 2009 on).

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* 14. The Board uses the strategic planning process to set annual goals and objectives.

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* 15. The Board requires the use of "adequate" assessment information to balance innovation and preservation in response to unanticipated needs, like the current Great Recession (adequate is defined by Standards 7 and 14 of the MSCHE Characteristics of Excellence).

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* 16. The Board understands and enables the building of the College-Institute’s relationships with its key communities (identified in the mission statement above).

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* 17. The Board is integrally involved in ensuring that the college achieves its fundraising goals.

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* 18. The Board ensures that HUC-JIR has sufficient human, financial, technical, facilities, and other resources to fulfill its mission.

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* 19. The Board exercises its responsibility to ensure that HUC-JIR is a well managed and fiscally responsible institution.

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* 20. The Board ensures that there is culture of continuous improvement for both itself and all other functions of the institution, where everyone is encouraged to seek evidence about the success of current processes as well as identify, try out, and evaluate potential improvements in them.

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* 21. The Board effectively supports the way that their leadership and the Chief Executive Officer implement the mission and purpose of the institution.

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* 22. I commit the necessary time and energy to HUC-JIR.

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* 23. I am personally committed to the giving expectations of Board membership and prepared to ask others to give.

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* 24. What areas of expertise do you have that could be of use to the board?

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* 25. Does the Board make effective use of my areas of expertise identified in the previous question.

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* 26. My participation in the Board is rewarding to me.

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* 27. The Board is effectively involved in the selection of Board members and officers.

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* 28. Board materials are adequately informative and distributed in a timely manner.

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* 29. Agendas for Board meetings are appropriate in length and content and have a proper balance between reporting and opportunities for discussion of key issues facing HUC-JIR.

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* 30. Board and committee meetings are well run, e.g. start/end on time, give members a chance to engage in issues, ensure all voices are heard, etc.

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* 31. The Board strikes the right balance between accomplishing business and ensuring meaningful, community-building activities.

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* 32. The standards of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education Standard are familiar to me and help me make decisions for the benefit of HUC-JIR.

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* 33. Thank you for your contribution to this survey.
Optional: if you like, please enter your name.

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