This chapter reports data from a comparative study of academic governance within England, the USA, and Australia showing that, overall, opportunities for academics to contribute to decision making about matters that affect teaching and research have declined. The chapter highlights the reduced opportunities for student participation in university decision making and substantial gaps between those who support students and staff, and those who make decisions about the provision of support services and their mode of delivery. The chapter address the current dimensions of university decision making within the context of institutional level academic governance before analyzing the ways in which university decision making has changed in recent years and the forces causing such changes. The chapter also highlights the potential impact of these changes on the effectiveness of university decision making, addressing four specific consequences and unanticipated risks. The final section briefly explores two alternative models of university decision making and considers the extent to which these models demonstrate some capacity to respond to consequences and unanticipated risks.