Designation of Colleges and the Definition of Schools and Departments Policy (Superseded)
ACADEMIC SENATE POLICY #F11-190
(FORMERLY #S94-190)
POLICY ON THE DESIGNATION OF COLLEGES AND
THE DEFINITION OF SCHOOLS AND DEPARTMENTS
All academic programs will be organized into a set of colleges. A dean, who reports to the Provost/Vice-president for Academic Affairs, will lead each college. Colleges may be comprised of departments and schools. A college dean may establish organizational subunits within a college, appropriately named to enhance administration, collaboration, or other desired benefits. Such subunits do not accrue financial or other entitlements except as specifically provided by the dean.
B. Characteristics of a Department/School
1. Departments and schools are considered equivalent units for purposes of university policies and the collective bargaining agreement.
2. A department/school is part of a college. Neither of these two organizational units may include other departments or schools as sub-units.
3. A department/school offers a major, minor, and/or credential, and may offer a certificate.
4. A department/school has faculty with tenure rights and normally has a minimum staffing of four (4.0) full-time equivalent faculty.
5. A department/school elects a peer review committee that recommends hiring faculty members and performs evaluation functions for re-appointment, retention, tenure, and promotion of faculty. In order to fulfill its personal functions, there must be enough faculty in the department/school and/or cognate disciplines to serve on the required committees.
6. Whether called a chair or a director, the head of a department or a school is selected according to the University Policy for Selection of Department Chairs (currently #S00-145) and reports to the dean of a college.
7. Considerations that will normally apply in designating a unit a school include professional accreditation, licensing or certification requirements for graduates, seize of the unit and common practice in higher education of administratively referring to the discipline as a school.
8. Requests for change in sub-college unit titles originate with the unit faculty, are recommended by the college dean, and are approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
C. Characteristics of a Program
1. A program offers a major, minor, credential, and/or certificate.
2. A program may be a stand-alone unit within a college or may be a subunit of a department/school. Such programs do not accrue financial or other entitlements except as specifically provided by the department/school chair/director or the college dean.
***Approved by the Academic Senate at its meeting on December 6, 2011***
***Approved by President Corrigan on December 16, 2011***