General Administrative Responsibilities

The respective powers and duties of the faculty as a whole and of those faculty who are officers of the University are set forth in the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees (see Appendix B). These Bylaws delegate to the faculty as a whole the authority to provide for the establishment of curricula and courses and for the establishment of a program of extra- course education for students. In exercise of these powers the faculty has adopted a Senate and a set of committees with various functions. Their functions have been described in Section I.

Various designated administrative members of the faculty are assigned the authority and responsibility for the administration of the regular and extra-course educational programs for students.

1. The President of the University is the chief administrative officer of the University and has the responsibility for the appointment of the Provost, Vice Presidents, Deans, Directors, and Department Chairpersons. The President represents the University before the Board of Trustees and is its executive agent empowered with general supervision of the affairs of the University including the establishment of the University calendar.
2. The Provost, who is also Vice President for Academic Affairs, is the chief executive officer next in authority to the President. The Provost's responsibilities include the supervision of the academic programs of the entire University and the development and administration of the University budget. He or she is assisted by the Vice Provosts for Academic Affairs and for Research, by the Associate Provosts for Graduate Studies and for International Programs and Special Sessions, by the Associate Vice President for Academic Computing and Instructional Technology, and by the Associate Provost and Director for Continuing Education.
3. The Deans of the Colleges have responsibilities for supervising and correlating the research, instructional, and educational activities of the colleges. The Deans have primary responsibility for the curricula of the college, for faculty recruitment within the college, for the assignment of duties for all personnel within the college and for the quality of service rendered by those individuals, and they recommend to the Provost on all salary increases, promotions, and on all appointments, nonreappointments and terminations within the college. In addition, the Deans have primary responsibility for allocations of funds within the college, subject to review by the Provost.
4. Department Chairpersons are also officers of administration as defined by the Trustees. The various responsibilities of the chairpersons set forth in the following edited description recommended by the Faculty Senate are in harmony with the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees.

   The chairperson serves both as the chief representative of the department within the institution and as a departmental administrator, responsible for communicating and administering policies and procedures of the University and for developing and organizing courses of study. Together with the dean and provost, the chairperson is charged with the recruiting and professional development of staff. Chairpersons make recommendations to the dean for faculty appointments, promotions, leaves of absence, tenure, salary increases and terminations of service. The chairperson will be expected to consult in a formalized way with the appropriate departmental body on matters of faculty status, excluding at the chairperson's discretion matters of individual raises and faculty course assignments. The chairperson should also establish appropriate vehicles for obtaining student opinion on curricular matters.

   Departmental chairpersons are appointed by the President for five-year terms upon the recommendation of the college dean and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. These appointments are renewable for like periods. The advice of a majority of the faculty within the department is required for the appointment or reappointment of the chairperson. The President has the authority to replace a department chairperson at any time, after consultation with the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the appropriate dean, if he or she deems such action to be in the best interests of the department or the University. Tenure as a faculty member is a separate right. (Rev. 7/1/75)

   The chairperson is reviewed shortly before the expiration of his or her term, or sooner under special circumstances. A copy of the policy on chairperson review is available from the dean of each college.

   In addition, there are academic units chaired by directors who have responsibilities similar to those of deans or chairpersons as the case may be.

5. The Vice President for Student Life is charged with responsibility for the total program of student personnel services, working through the Division of Student Services. The Division works jointly with the colleges and the University Faculty Senate and its committees to help the student develop his or her total intellectual, social, and personal potential. Faculty members are encouraged to view their responsibilities in light of this overall objective and to work with students individually and in groups to achieve this goal. The Committee on Student Life and the Student Services staff members are available to assist the faculty in this endeavor.