There are many groups and committees that influence progress at Skyline, but one in particular serves as a guiding force for change.

The College Governance Council is a committee on campus that acts as an umbrella for the participatory governance committee. When another committee has ideas or announcements it can be brought to the CGC for review and collaboration. Items are often discussed during CGC meetings before being brought before the president for approval.

Visible advancements have been made at Skyline with the help of the CGC. A notable one is the updated smoking policy that was implemented during the fall semester of 2009. Before this policy was adapted, it was brought to the attention of the CGC.

Other committees and members of the academic community came together during the 2008-2009 fiscal year to workshop and brainstorm how Skyline could update the smoking policy. Through the baby steps that occurred during early CGC meetings, there is now a successfully implemented policy.

Another major topic that the CGC has influenced was last year’s accreditation process.

Theresa Tentes, a member of the CGC said that there was “a lot of planning being done last year.”

Accreditation is an impactful part of any school because it determines the reputability and credibility that an establishment has. By pooling together the voices and inspirations of different committees and members of Skyline’s academic community, the CGC aided in advancing through the evaluations for accreditation with the constituents’ input.

Topics like the smoking policy or accreditation go through levels of “workshopping” and tweaking before the final product is presentable. The most important of these levels is CGC meetings. There, representatives from separate committees, staff, administration and students all gather to share their voices and bounce ideas off of one another.

Tentes spoke about this aspect of the CGC, saying it is “important to have representation from all groups,” including the students.

“Skyloween” is a current topic that was mentioned in the most recent CGC meeting that reflects the student voice in the CGC environment. Nicole Harris, student body president, shared with the other members and attendees of the meeting, information about the holiday event. It is this sort of atmosphere that the CGC offers to Skyline; an open, reliable arena to support ideas and share intellectual proposals.

While accreditation was the hot topic for the College Governance Council during this past fiscal year, progress and focus hasn’t slowed down. This year, the prospect of Middle College is being discussed.

Similar to past projects, this proposal is the brainchild of other committees but its path to implementation has recently been an agenda topic for the CGC. Dr. Raymond Jones is leading the program as its interim director. This program would open Skyline’s doors to high school students, allowing them to be concurrently enrolled and work towards their future college career while sustaining a high school education as well.

The College Governance Council embodies a lot of what Skyline thrives to be: open, communal, and inspired. It is a place for intellectual progress and community advancement; and plays an integral role in shaping the college.