Article 6: The Schools and Colleges
§ 6-1. Academic deans
(a) The chief academic officer of each school or college is a dean. The chancellor appoints deans for indefinite terms in consultation with the faculty concerned. A dean is formally evaluated for continuation in office not less frequently than once in every five years.
(b) The duties of a dean include the following:
1. To initiate and implement educational programs and policies of the school or college in consultation with the faculty;
2. To administer all curricular and degree programs, all regulations governing academic standards, and such other special functions as may be delegated to the school or college;
3. To convene the faculty, or a duly established body representative of the faculty, at least once each semester for the purpose of acting on matters that must be put before the Faculty Council; approving or rejecting new courses; clarifying and interpreting rules and regulations; planning for the initiation of changes in educational policies and practices; establishing or revising personnel policies; establishing or revising criteria for faculty appointments, promotions, and tenure; and transacting any other business that requires action by or consultation with the faculty;
4. To call and preside over meetings of the faculty of the school or college;
5. To advise his or her administrative superior on any matter affecting the school or the University;
6. To make recommendations for faculty appointments, promotions, and tenure and for faculty salary adjustments;
7. To supervise and evaluate the performance of support staff assigned to the school or college;
8. To prepare and transmit to the chancellor an annual administrative budget and an annual report of the school or college; and
9. To prepare materials concerning the school or college for the university catalogs.
§ 6-2. Administrative boards
(a) The College of Arts and Sciences, the General College, the Graduate School, and the Summer School each has an administrative board appointed by the chancellor upon recommendation of the dean. Professional schools also have administrative boards, unless the chancellor finds that one is not needed after consulting the dean and faculty of the school. If a professional school does not have an administrative board, the duties described in subsection (b), below, are performed by the faculty as a whole or by a duly established body representative of the faculty.
Except as otherwise specified in this Code, the majority of the members of an administrative board are members of the faculty of the school or unit concerned. The term of office is three years. Terms are staggered so that approximately the same number of terms expires each year. A member who has served two successive terms is not eligible for immediate reappointment.
(b) Subject to the powers of the faculty of the school or college concerned and of the Faculty Council, administrative boards have the following duties:
1. To formulate, together with the dean, educational policies;
2. To advise the dean in handling administrative matters;
3. To review and approve new programs and curricula;
4. To examine and pass finally on all new courses proposed to the particular school or college; and
5. To perform such other duties as may be delegated to them by the dean.
§ 6-3. Department chairs
(a) In the College of Arts and Sciences and professional schools organized into departments, the academic head of each department is the department chair. Chairs are appointed by the chancellor for terms of three to five years on recommendation of the dean, who consults with the departmental faculty in identifying nominees for department chair.
The chancellor may terminate a chair’s appointment before the term expires upon recommendation of the dean who consults with the assembled voting faculty of the department before making that recommendation. A chair’s appointment is terminated only for good cause shown and the chair is entitled to a specification of the reasons. The chair has the right to appear in person before the Advisory Committee to present his or her perspective on the situation. In exceptional cases requiring immediate action, the chancellor may suspend a chair’s appointment pending the dean’s consultation with the departmental faculty.
(b) Department chairs have the following duties, which are performed in consultation with the voting faculty of the department:
1. To administer the departmental budget;
2. To supervise and evaluate the performance of support staff assigned to the department;
3. To initiate appointments to faculty positions, to initiate recommendations for reappointment and promotion of faculty members, and to recommend adjustments in faculty salaries;
4. To formulate and implement educational policies;
5. To maintain instructional facilities, including library resources; and
6. To report annually to the dean on the work and activities of the department.
Chairs have the right of appeal in budgetary and other matters from the dean to the provost and to the chancellor.
§ 6-4. School and departmental faculty meetings
The school or department holds regular faculty meetings at least once in each semester. The dean or chair may call special meetings and must do so upon request of one-half of the voting faculty of the school or department. The dean or chair presides at all meetings and ensures that an accurate record of the proceedings is kept. Members of the school or departmental faculty who are members of the voting faculty as defined in § 1-4 of the Faculty Code are eligible to vote in faculty meetings, except that fixed-term faculty are not eligible to vote on tenure-track appointments, reappointments, or promotions. [Amended March 18, 2011.]
