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.
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.
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***